Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija threw a career-high 126 pitches in Monday night’s loss to the White Sox and the next day reporters asked him and manager Rick Renteria about the wisdom of letting him have such a big workload early in the season.
There was also some indications that the Cubs’ front office wasn’t thrilled with Renteria for allowing the 126 pitches to happen, especially in cold weather, to which Samardzija said:
This is an on-field issue for uniform personnel. 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. I think I’m grown up enough and responsible enough to understand when I can go and when I can’t go. … But just from what it’s sounding like, there was a response. For me, it’s just something that we need to handle here in the clubhouse.
Which is fine, except you’re never going to see a pitcher say any differently and, obviously, being “a grown man” doesn’t preclude anyone from wearing down physically over the course of a season or, say, needing Tommy John surgery. Toss in the ongoing speculation about the Cubs possibly trading Samardzija rather than signing him to a long-term extension and there’s plenty of tension surrounding him and the front office right now.
