Samardzija waits for another chance with Cubs

BY RYAN METZ

Times Correspondent

ROUND ROCK, Texas | Standing under the blazing Texas sun on Wednesday afternoon, Jeff Samardzija is wearing a Chicago Cubs T-shirt and shorts throwing long toss with a teammate standing 120 feet away from him in right field of The Dell Diamond.

The Valparaiso native is working out his right arm that is two days removed from picking up a win after throwing a 23-pitch, perfect seventh and eighth inning on Monday night for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs of the Pacific Coast League. His Hall of Fame manager Ryne Sandberg is 20 feet from Samardzija and leaning on a bat closely watching his most expensive and most certainly hottest commodity on the pitching staff.

The starter, turned reliever, turned starter and now turned reliever was optioned down to Des Moines after two weeks in Chicago's bullpen to begin the season that saw him allow 11 runs in 3 1/3 innings pitched.

His new role -- at least for the moment -- is a late-inning setup man that is supposed to unleash his mid-90s fastball, without any concern of pacing himself for extended innings as a starter would.

"Obviously this isn't ideal (being with Iowa)," said Samardzija, who topped the radar at 94 mph on Monday. "You kind of deal with it and that's how things go sometimes, and, wherever you're at, you have to make the best of it."

After Thursday's games, Samardzija is 4-0 while throwing 18 innings in 13 appearances, for a 2.50 ERA with 12 walks and 13 strikeouts for Iowa.

"When you get to the big leagues, it's about performance and doing the job when you're there, and sometimes that doesn't always work out," Sandberg said. "If a player is sent down to Triple-A, it's time to get back to the basics and get straightened out under game situations.

"He's been here working on some things, fine-tuning. He's kind of in a holding pattern as we speak, but he seems to be on an upswing on his command and velocity. Whether it's boosting his confidence or getting him to go two or three innings and just allowing him to pitch.

"Sometimes you take little baby steps with positives going that way, and that's kind of why we're here."

With the help from Iowa pitching coach Mike Mason, the right-hander has added a cutter to his pitch collection, along with improved mechanics on his setup.

"We've added a cutter, which has helped him get on top of his fastball a little bit better," Mason said. "Now he has that secondary pitch he can throw at any count, any situation and he trusts it."

The timetable for Samardzija's return to Wrigley is unknown at this point.

"All I can do is work out down here and get to be as good as I can, get all my pitches right where they need to be," he said. "Whenever the (Cubs) feel it's time and whenever they feel they have a need, then hopefully it will happen."

Published in the Northwest Indiana Times on June 6, 2010.