As you head into work, I want to provide you with a trip around the news and offer some commentary on it.
- Kerry Wood’s blister is going to keep him out of the Milwaukee series – This has me bummed. We could really use him in the 9th for this series, but if it means that it will be completely healed when he comes back, then by all means rest it until it’s fully healed. I just hope that after all this rest, he doesn’t try to come back to soon, irritate it, and then have to be shelved essentially for the year. It’s quotes like this that have me worried. “Woody’s the kind of guy – that if he has to – he’ll throw through it.” Let’s not do that unless we absolutely HAVE to.
- Cubs will probably be fined $500,000 – This stems back to the violation in the draft this year. They apparently signed two players over slot, which is the recommended amount set by MLB for the particular pick in the draft, and then failed to report the signings in a timely manner. I wonder if the over the slot thing makes MLB a little more angry and less likely to be merciful to the Cubs. They seem dictatorish like that some times.
- Jeff Samardzija could be a gift from above – Looking at him yesterday compared to his first outing, he seemed a good deal more composed and much more dominant. Could he be the answer to the bullpen need? Is he enough to curb the idea that Jim Hendry needed to go out and get another arm for the pen? I think so. He’s got great stuff if he can just harness it. Control has been the main issue for him as he’s progressed. If working with Larry Rothschild can help fix that, look out!!! Baseball America had this to say about Samardzija
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote a column about the enigma that was Jeff Samardzija Premium At the time, he wasn’t doing much to distinguish himself in high Class A, where opponents batted .323 against him while he averaged a mere 3.8 strikeouts per nine innings. For a guy with mid-90s velocity and plus sink, not to mention a $10 million major league contract, this just didn’t compute.
At the time, the Cubs maintained their faith in Samardzija’s huge upside. He was more famous for his football exploits at Notre Dame, where he set every notable receiving record, and he didn’t become a full-time pitcher until 2007. The Cubs believed that once he refined his delivery, his slider and an offspeed pitch, hitters wouldn’t be able to sit on his fastball. Ed Wood movie
Samardzija continued to struggle with those tasks in Double-A at the start of this year. He went 3-5, 4.86 in 16 games (15 starts), and his velocity and sink still weren’t enough to miss bats. Opponents hit .252 off him, which was an improvement, but his 44-42 K-BB ratio in 76 innings wasn’t inspiring.
His secondary pitches started to click in June, earning him a promotion to Triple-A, where he suddenly took off. He had a 40-16 K-BB ratio in 37 innings over six starts, and when he allowed just six hits while fanning 18 over 12 innings in his last two outings, the Cubs summoned him to Chicago.
Though Samardzija gave up a game-tying run to the Marlins in his major league debut on Friday, he rebounded two days later to record a two-inning save. He also looked spectacular, topping out at 99 mph and pitching in the mid-90s with his fastball with ease. He also showed a mid-80s slider and mixed in a splitter, and retired 12 of the 14 batters he faced during the weekend, striking out five.
With Kerry Wood on the disabled list again and Carlos Marmol struggling, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Samardzija could emerge as the Cubs’ closer down the stretch. That formula of a rookie closer coming out of nowhere worked pretty well for the other club in Chicago three years ago. (Source)
- Jim Hendry elects to stay – No hitting for the Cubs means no hitting for Hendry in the game of 21 down the stretch. Sorry, I just watched 21 yesterday so I had to try to work in a reference. Dave Van Dyke mentioned that Hendry doesn’t plan to add before Thursday’s deadline, but if you know anything about GM’s, what they say and what they think are always two different stories.
- Oakland makes a switch – Eric Patterson has been recalled and Matt Murton demoted for the A’s. Murton had been royally stinking up the joint and deserves to be back in AAA.
The gun at Wrigley didn’t have Samardzija anywhere near 99.
It was more 94-95.
In his first inning on Friday he was clocked at 99, 98, 97 almost all the time. I think that he was probably overthrowing a bit on adenaline.
I know… and my point is that I think the gun may have been a bit hot.
The movement was the impressive part. Lefties are going to have a tough time if he can locate the 94-95 fastball on the inside corner. The splitter is the key to his success against righties. My concern is that he looked unwilling to pitch the righties inside. He will need to do this otherwise teams will pick up on that and he will give up lots of home runs. I hope they keep him in the majors cause we really don’t have any other power arms outside of Marmol and Wood. Everyone knows those two could use a rest once in a while.
Are we really arguing about if the gun was correct or not? The guy has good stuff, whether it was 98mph or 94mph. I did happen to see on WGN that he was hitting 98-97, and I think we all know that if you have 5 different speed guns at a game, you may have 3 different speeds. I also think we all know that those “guns” that are used to post at the stadiums may be somewhat enhanced to get reaction from the crowd. Like Brad says, it was the movement that was the impressive part.
Jeff might be sent down again but obviously (yes ddave…I don’t need to wait and see as I have seen enough) Jeff can contribute to the Cubs efforts this year and will no doubt be brought back when needed and of course extended rosters. This kid can pitch at this level, will have some bumps as all do, but he is a big league pitcher.
Don’t get me wrong – Samardzija looked good. I just don’t think he was throwing 99.
And I also never said that he couldn’t contribute this year, did I?
I simply said it was a bit early to make an analysis. Lets wait and see what happens when hitters start to adjust, and whether or not Samardzija can adjust. And lets wait and see if he can continue to throw strikes, which was one of his big weaknesses in the minor leagues.
Again… just so people don’t take me out of context again. I like Samardzija, and think that he has the potential to be very good. And he has pitched quite well so far, in his four innings. And he very possibly can and will make a significant contribution to this team. But he has thrown 4 big league innings. 4. That is all. He struggled in the minors. He only has one really good pitch, and 1 or 2 inconsistent secondary pitches.
So I just urge caution.
I watch about 50 Marlins games & 50 Cubs games a year……. Anyone that throws Mike Jacobs a ball below the waist is a Dope……. that would be the Cubs Pitchers…. this guy like our old friend “K” orey loves high heat….. I have yet to see him connect on a high fastball with the L O N G slow loopy swing he has….. but he can make contact on a low breaking ball……… so obviously what we hear about these guys watching film can’t be true……Jacobs is a .245 hitter with 80 k’s the 77 hits & 22 HR’s all came from around his knees……………………..
Dave, I am not really sure how you can say that we took you out of context. Your 2 posts said nothing about you liking Jeff. All they said were that you did not think that he was throwing that hard. I don’t think anyone took you out of context. You are just a little defensive about being challenged. thats all.
Samardzija or Turnbow? I like our chances. I’d even take Samardzija over Linebrink. The key to beating the Brewers is getting into their bullpen. The Cubs need to strike early and often, take the crowd out of the game, and set the tone early on in the series. I have faith!
If your sister had a blister like Woodsey, she would be aq social outcast. I have NEVER heard of a blister taking this long to heal. Let’s start a poolo on when our Cubbies ghet their next and probably last complete game. Oh I forget Sweaty Lucy is saving their arms for ctober or the Florida cruise, which ever comes first. Satire before someone jumps me over this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Blister problems can be really bad… it doesn’t take much for a blister to impact your grip on a baseball.
I would rather see him rest and make sure that it is fully healed than have him try to throw through it and never fully heal.