Brooks Raley to pitch on Tuesday for Chicago Cubs as Matt Garza sidelined after injury – MLB News
The Chicago Cubs left-handed pitcher Brooks Raley will make his Major League debut on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 when the team will take on San Diego Padres. Raley who was part of the Triple-A Iowa was promoted after the news broke out that Matt Garza might not be able to pitch any longer this season.
The Chicago Cubs on Monday were greeted with an unwelcome news suggesting that Garza was diagnosed with stress reaction in his right elbow, resulting in the indefinite sidelining of the team’s starter.
Brooks Raley, nonetheless, comes with the talent and skill for the Cubs. Having posted 2.12 ERA in July, he was the Cubs Pitcher of the Month in just over 29 innings that he pitched. The pitcher also has the distinction of having the fourth lowest ERA in the Pacific Coast League.
That he has been brought in to replace Garza speaks volume of the confidence that the team management has in the young player. As Garza is headed to disabled list, Raley will pitch on Tuesday against the Padres.
The team manager shed light on the positives that Raley brings with himself: from a cutter to two- seamer and four-seamer. The team manager likened him to Travis Wood as far as the command is concerned.
"He's a guy who can pitch in and out, [throws a] cutter, two-seamer, four-seamer, nothing overpowering," Cubs' manager Dale Sveum said. "He's not going to probably strike a lot of guys out. He's going to pitch to contact. His command is pretty good, his mound presence is outstanding. His breaking ball [is good], he has a plus changeup. He's a lot like Travis Wood with a breaking ball a work in progress."
On the other hand, with Garza gone, the senior status now goes to Jeff Samardzija who is ready to face the new challenge. Samardzija, nonetheless, knows the unpredictability of things as far as the players are concerned.
"It's the way things go sometimes," Samardzija said. "You just have to be ready for anything.”
Whether Raley succeeds in living up to the expectations of the Cubs is something that will be seen in the days to come.
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