Matt Garza’s advice to Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija: “Pitch your way out of there”

From Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com …

MILWAUKEE – Matt Garza has a simple message for Jeff Samardzija: “Pitch your way out of there.”

The Cubs used to be a destination, but now it sounds more like a place where the inmates are hoping for early parole. Just ask Garza, who escaped last summer, getting traded to the Texas Rangers in the heat of a pennant race.

This was after the Cubs fell to the Brewers 5-3 on Saturday night in Milwaukee and dropped to 10 1/2 game back in the National League Central standings.

Samardzija owns a stellar 1.53 ERA in five starts this season but doesn’t have a win.

“I told him: ‘It doesn’t matter, dude. You play in Chicago,'” Garza said late Saturday. “I was there and I lost 30 wins in three seasons. So it’s not your fault. Just pitch your way out of it. … There’s nothing else you can do. … I’m hoping the best for him. He’s a young kid who deserves a shot to maybe go win something.”

Samardzija is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2015 season. Negotiations about a long-term extension have not gone far, and the thought is that he might be traded at some point this summer.

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The Angels have placed Andrew Heaney on the 10-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation, the club announced Saturday. The move is retroactive to July 17, though it’s not yet certain that he’ll be cleared to pitch again by the end of the month.

It’s an unfortunate development for the 28-year-old southpaw, who has battled inflammation in his pitching elbow on and off since spring training. In fact, his arm issues date back several years, including the shoulder impingement that put him on the shelf in 2017 and the Tommy John surgery he underwent in 2016. With such a complicated medical history, it makes sense that the Angels would want to proceed with caution as they facilitate the lefty’s eventual return to the mound.

Given his ongoing struggles, Heaney has seen mixed results with the club in 2019. Prior to his recent IL assignment, he pitched to a 1-3 record in nine starts with a 5.09 ERA, 3.7 BB/9, and 10.6 SO/9 through 46 innings. Since the end of June, however, his starts have gotten shorter and shorter; he lasted just 4 1/3 innings in his final outing against the Astros, expending a tremendous 103 pitches and issuing two runs, two walks, and five strikeouts during the team’s eventual 7-2 win.

In a corresponding roster move, the Angels claimed lefty reliever Adalberto Mejía off of waivers from the Twins. Mejía, 26, is expected to be activated ahead of Saturday’s game versus the Mariners. Over 13 appearances with Minnesota, he turned in an 8.80 ERA, 7.0 BB/9, and 8.8 SO/9 in 15 1/3 innings.