Chicago Cubs to keep featuring Jeff Samardzija as season nears end – MLB News
Although the Chicago Cubs' manager Dale Sveum hinted on Friday, August 24 that the club may well use Jeff Samardzija until the end of current season, there have been some whispers making the rounds that the club might consider shutting him down early.
But given the consistency he has exhibited, especially his transition from a reliever to starter, the Cubs appear to have a second thought. For now, he is one of the regular features of the club and his being shut down might well be improbable.
"He's fine," Sveum said before the commencement of Friday's game. "We'll make those decisions, but right now -- like I said a week ago -- all of his tests came back with flying colors. Right now, we're on the thought of making it all the way through."
Having pitched just over 151 innings this season so far, Samardzija maintains the lead in both innings and strike-outs. Also, he ranks 12th in the National League in strike-outs at a time when not a lot of Cubs' pitchers are performing up to the mark.
One of other positives on display was his start on against the Colorado Rockies wherein he helped the team win the game 5-3.
The team manager is impressed by the work ethic that the pitcher has maintained. The fact that the likes of Paul Maholm, Ryan Dempster and Jeff Baker were traded last month has created some vacuum as far as the pitching is concerned.
That vacuum is to be filled by Jeff Samardzija as he is one of the more experienced players out there among the young Cubs' players.
Dale Sveum appears content with how the pitcher has gone about it so far. "His work ethic," Sveum said. "You just don't throw that many pitches and innings and get stronger unless you've been doing a lot of work on the side to prevent any injuries and to keep that part of your arm as strong as possible."
Cubs left a lot of things to be desired this season. But overall, in the long run, they will have a lot to gain from the talented players’ experience as the team rebuilds.
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