Samardzija gets a wakeup call at Wrigley

Cubs rookie pitcher Jeff Samardzija didn't get a wink of sleep Thursday night while hopping two planes from Tucson, Ariz. en route to his big-league debut.

However, insomnia before a big game is nothing new to the former Notre Dame All-America wide receiver, who filled the roster spot of blister-plagued closer Kerry Wood on Friday.

"I just remember going into some big games in college and not sleeping too much the night before and just thinking about every possible situation and play," said Samardzija, who was issued No. 29. "On the two planes last night there wasn't a single situation that didn't go through my head and my heart was racing the whole time. I'm sitting there on the plane taking deep breaths, saying, 'Just take it easy, bro.'

"I get excited pretty easily. I couldn't ask for a better situation or be more excited. I'm just ready to pitch."

The 2006 fifth-round draft, who was 4-1 with a 3.13 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings as a starter at Class AAA Iowa, will do his pitching in relief for Cubs manager Lou Piniella.

"We're going to put him in the bullpen and probably use him in the middle to get his feet wet," Piniella said. "He's stretched out. We can use him about any way we want. I think the best way is get him in there in the middle part of the ballgame and if he's pitching well, leave him in there a little longer."

The first member of the Cubs' 2006 draft class to reach the big leagues, Samardzija went 3-5 with a 4.86 ERA at Double-A West Tennessee but excelled after his promotion to the bigger stage at first-place Iowa. He expects the same results at Wrigley Field.

"I'm here to do one thing: win games," Samardzija said. "I understand that and I understand that's why I'm here. I'm not here to develop, I'm not here to work on anything. I'm here to help the team win games, and that's all I care about and that's all anyone else cares about.

Samardzija entered Friday's game in the seventh inning in relief of Ryan Dempster and fell behind pinch hitter Alfredo Almezaga 2-0. But the rookie battled back to notch a strikeout with a 96 mph heater to the roar of the supportive Wrigley crowd.

However, he allowed a hit to Hanley Ramirez, who later scored the tying run on a double by Jorge Cantu with two outs.

Samardzija retired the Marlins in order in the eighth.