Chicago Cubs to decide if Jeff Samardzija is to make more starts this season – MLB News
The Chicago Cubs' manager Dale Sveum said on Tuesday, September 4, that the club will sit down with starter Jeff Samardzija to discuss the plan for the rest of the season. Samardzija has so far pitched just over 165 innings this season and it has yet to decided whether or not the team wants to play him in a few more games.
For Samardzija, the team’s plan for the year was a total of 180 innings. His Monday’s start was indeed a solid one where he went aggressively against the Washington Nationals, pitching seven strong innings.
But the Cubs do not want to show any hurry. Part of the reason is to evaluate the player’s strength and then to make the decision.
"Well, we have to sit down with the whole organization and evaluate that decision and see where we want to be," Sveum said. "That would obviously be a lot more innings than he's ever pitched [in the big leagues]. But the strength level is obviously there right now, so it's something that we really got to evaluate."
Cubs are fifth in the National League Central. They can play a spoiler’s role. But all that depends on how the combination works as far as the defence and offence is concerned. Herein comes Samardzija who has remained the main strength of the defence throughout the season, especially August with 3.52 ERA in six starts.
Samardzija’s extraordinary performance in the second half of the season cannot go unnoticed, something that he himself also sheds light upon.
"You put your work in in the offseason to be in this situation," Samardzija said. "You work so hard to get a lot of innings under your belt and pitch late in the season and be healthy. I know I'm a second-half player."
Being in the road trip wherein the Cubs have to play 10 games, it will be interesting to see whether or not the Cubs will play Samardzija. Given the strength he brings in to the defence, especially after the departure of other veteran pitchers, he might well be retained for a few starts this season.
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