Injury Bug Continues, Samardzija Blasted, Banks Honored, and Other Vacation Bullets

jeff samardzija sharknadoThe Cubs got pounded 12-1 by the Phillies yesterday. I haven’t missed too many games in the last few years, but I’m not so upset to have missed that one.

  • Jeff Samardzija lasted just 3.1 innings, giving up 11 hits and nine earned runs (no walks and three strikeouts, though, so those are good for the ratios!). Sharknado? More like Shark … hit … hard … by the, um, Phillies-o. Yeah. Kablowy.
  • Dale Sveum said of the start, per Cubs.com, that Samardzija didn’t have his split working, and his fastball was flat and very hittable. Samardzija, on the other hand, didn’t seem to think he was throwing all that poorly, and is waiting to review tape before concluding whether he was doing something wrong, or whether it was just a day where the balls were falling in. Jesse Rogers writes that the big indicator for the game was that Samardzija didn’t a single swing-and-miss. Yeah, that’s pretty indicative of not having your best stuff.
  • The injury bug continued to bite the Cubs in Philadelphia, as something clearly went very wrong with reliever Matt Guerrier – he didn’t throw well, and then the next day, the Cubs put him on the 60-day DL with elbow soreness. That means he won’t pitch again for the Cubs this season, and also means the Cubs immediately knew his elbow issue was relatively serious. He’ll head back to Chicago to be examined, and hopefully the news isn’t of the most serious variety for the 35-year-old. Guerrier pitched fairly well after coming to the Cubs in the Carlos Marmol swap, putting up a 2.13 ERA and 1.263 WHIP over 12.2 innings (6.4 K/9, 3.4 BB/9). He’ll end the season on the 60-day DL, and, even if his elbow issue requires only rest, he’s not likely to land a big league deal heading into next season. Perhaps the Cubs will try to bring him back on a minor league/Spring Training invite deal next year.
  • The Cubs brought back infrequently-used taxi squad reliever Eduardo Sanchez to take Guerrier’s place. I’d think that the Cubs would like to get a serious look at the promising 24-year-old righty the rest of the way before making a decision on whether to keep him on the 40-man roster all offseason.
  • Also coming up from Iowa is veteran minor league catcher J.C. Boscan, who technically takes injured outfielder Thomas Neal’s spot on the 25-man roster, but is really coming up to replace, temporarily, injured catcher Dioner Navarro. Given the lack of a DL move for Navarro just yet, the Cubs must have some confidence that his leg contusion really is just that. Boscan takes Guerrier’s spot on the 40-man, and is a temporary solution at age 33.
  • In case you were counting: that makes three injuries that the Cubs suffered in a one-inning span on Wednesday night.
  • President Obama announced that Ernie Banks will receive the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor available. The medal, which was established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy, is presented to those who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Other players have received the award, including Hank Aaron (2002), Roberto Clemente (2003) Joe DiMaggio (1977), Stan Musial (2011), Buck O’Neil (2006), Frank Robinson (2005), Jackie Robinson (1984) and Ted Williams (1991). Good company for Banks, and a distinctive honor for Mr. Cub.
  • Another great prospect piece from CSN, this one on Dan Vogelbach.
  • The Cubs start a three-game set in St. Louis tonight, so get ready for that uniquely fun experience.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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