Samardzija feels 'outstanding' after 126-pitch outing

Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija said his arm was still attached Wednesday, two days after he threw 126 pitches against the White Sox.

That pitch count raised some eyebrows because, in this day and age, 100 pitches often is considered the top limit for starting pitchers.

Cubs manager Rick Renteria determined it was OK for Samardzija to keep going because he was efficient in his innings. General manager Jed Hoyer said Tuesday he puts more stock into pitch stress rather than a raw pitch count but that Samardzija's outing would be discussed internally.

Samardzija said he felt "outstanding" and that the only people he was interested in answering to are Renteria and pitching coach Chris Bosio.

"I'm sure the only people it concerned were me and Bosio and Rick, and I thought we were all on the same page with what happened," he said. "I talked to (Renteria) before spring training and I told him I like to pitch and like to throw a lot of pitches. I just asked that we have good communication between each other during the game and that's it. And we did exactly that. Bosio was outstanding. We knew where we were at and we felt great."

Samardzija said that if he ever feels he can't continue in a game that he'd tell the manager that, too.

"This is an on-field issue for uniformed personnel," he said. That's all there is to it.

"I'm a grown man. I'm 29. I'm not a prospect or 22. I feel good. And I think I'm grown-up enough and responsible enough to know when I can go and when I can't go. I'm going to go off that. I've earned my right in athletics to understand my body and where I'm at."

Strop to DL:

The Cubs placed reliever Pedro Strop on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, one day after he had to leave an appearance in the ninth inning.

Strop underwent an MRI, and the Cubs said it revealed a moderate strain of the left groin. It's possible he could miss 3-4 weeks. The Cubs recalled left-handed reliever Zac Rosscup from Class AAA Iowa.

A no-no for Rusin:

Left-hander Chris Rusin tossed a no-hitter Wednesday for Iowa at New Orleans.

He gave up 2 walks while striking out three and throwing 118 pitches.

Rusin, who has seen major-league time the past few seasons, was up with the Cubs on April 12, and he pitched 5 innings in relief of Carlos Villanueva at St. Louis. It was the first Iowa no-hitter since Reggie Patterson tossed one in 1984.

"I'm feeling pretty good," Rusin told the Des Moines Register. "It's never happened to me before. I don't even know what to think. I don't even think it's hit me yet. I felt like it happened so quickly."

Quite an honor:

Jeff Samardzija said he was honored to present White Sox star Paul Konerko with a No. 14 from the Wrigley Field scoreboard Tuesday. Konerko, who wears No. 14, will retire after this year.

Two years ago, Samardzija hit Konerko in the head with a pitch, something he said was an accident.

"I was asked to do it, and I jumped at the opportunity right away," Samardzija said of the ceremony. "When the whole thing went down when I hit him, the first thing I said was, 'Worst guy it could happen to' because I respect him more than anyone in this game."