Rain wins out in Samardzija's Cubs audition
There were about 7,500 fans in the Wrigley Field stands Thursday night when Jeff Samardzija took the mound for the Cubs against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A few hearty souls hung around during a rain delay that lasted 2 hours, 32 minutes before the game was canceled.
The game itself was devoid of meaning, with Pirates ensconced safely in last place in the National League Central and the Cubs eliminated from postseason play.
The start was an important one for Samardzija, though.
The 24-year-old right-hander was making his third start of the season, and it came on the heels of an encouraging outing last week in Milwaukee.
However, Samardzija gave up 3 runs in the first inning, including 2 on a homer by Lastings Milledge, which was wiped off the books. The rains hit at 7:53 p.m. with the Pirates batting in the fourth.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella was as curious as anybody to see Samardzija.
"He's worked hard since we sent him down," Piniella said, referring to a stint in the minor leagues when Samardzija concentrated on being a starting pitcher. "I really liked what I saw the other day against Milwaukee. Larry Rothschild (the Cubs pitching coach) told me I would like the way he would throw, and I really did. He went out and competed.
"His delivery was much smoother. He threw the ball on a more downhill plane. His breaking ball had a little sharper break to it."
Samardzija came away from that game with a 3-2 loss, with Prince Fielder touching him for a 2-run homer. Piniella warned that the Pirates would not be an easy task, considering they swept the Cubs Wednesday in a doubleheader.
"This is a nice little challenge for him," Piniella said. "This young team that Pittsburgh has here, they're swinging the bats, and they're playing nice and loose. They're scoring runs. It'll be a nice challenge for him against this lineup."
Samardzija retired Andrew McCutchen to start the game, but Andy LaRoche doubled to left field. Garrett Jones followed with an RBI single, and after Ryan Doumit popped out, Milledge homered to left field.
As far as Samardzija's future, he'll pitch in Mexico this winter, and the Cubs see him as a starting pitcher long term.
"I think that's the consensus," Piniella said. "I know that he's been back and forth according to the needs of the major-league team. But I think now that we've seen him here over the last couple years in bits and pieces, I think that's the general consensus, yes."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Cubs scouting report</p> <p class="News">Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field</p> <p class="News"><b>TV:</b> Channel 9 today and Saturday; Comcast SportsNet Sunday</p> <p class="News"><b>Radio:</b> WGN 720-AM</p> <p class="News"><b>Pitching matchups: </b>The Cubs' Tom Gorzelanny (7-2) vs. Billy Buckner (3-6) today at 1:20 p.m.; Randy Wells (11-10) vs. Daniel Cabrera (0-5) Saturday at 12:05 p.m.; Ryan Dempster (11-8) vs. Doug Davis (8-14) Sunday at 1:20 p.m.</p> <p class="News"><b>At a glance:</b> The D'Backs will finish last in the NL West. The Cubs lost two of three at Arizona in late April, with Davis beating Dempster in the series finale. The D'Backs' Mark Reynolds has more than 100 RBI and more than 200 strikeouts. Both teams are bottom of the pack offensively in the NL. Arizona entered Thursday 11th in ERA, at 4.42. The Cubs were fifth, at 3.81. </p> <p class="News"><b>Next:</b> Atlanta Braves at Turner Field, April 5, 2010</p> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=325911">Ramirez: Don't blame Hendry for season<span class="date"> [10/2/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>