Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010
9:45 PM
By Patrick Mooney
CSNChicago.com
Starlin Castro found his name back in Wednesdays lineup, roughly 72 hours after he forgot how many outs there were, the kind of lapse in concentration that has bothered his new manager.
By benching Castro for two gameseven as that .317 average ranked third in the National League and lent credibility to a Rookie of the Year campaignMike Quade felt he proved a point and used it as a teaching moment for his 20-year-old shortstop.
Enough said, Quade said. Hes doing what he needs to do.
It wont be a straight line of development for Castro, who committed his 23rd error during the first inning of Wednesdays 4-0 loss to the Houston Astros. Castro let a groundball pop out of his glove and didnt have time to flip to second for the third out. Carlos Leewhos listed at 265 poundsbeat the throw to first.
Castros diving catch later robbed Lee of a base hit with two runners on in the fifth, and the shortstop made a nice spin play behind second base an inning later. In between he sprinted into Astros first baseman Brett Wallace and was knocked to the ground trying to hustle for an infield single.
MLB
The Cubs decided months ago to let Castro learn on the job and live with his mistakes, hoping for a bigger payoff in the future.
He understands where Im coming from, Quade said. Weve talked at length about his youth. (Its) just a step in the process of growing. Thats the way I look at it. And Im as anxious as anybody to see him play well.
It took Jeff Samardzija 136 days to get back to the big leagues. Between his demotion on April 24 and this weeks round of September call-ups, the Cubs made 19 additions to their pitching staff, almost constant roster shuffling that until Tuesday did not involve their 10 million prospect.
When Samardzija was sent down to Triple-A, the organization took its share of the blame, saying it was unfair to a player whos been pulled between the rotation and the bullpen (though Sean Marshall has made himself an extremely valuable asset by showing that kind of versatility).
Samardzijas development was already slowed by his All-American football career at the University of Notre Dame, but he doesnt care how hes used this month.
Here we go again, Samardzija said. Lets jump on the wheel and spin around.
The Cubs havent finalized their pitching plans for the final 21 games of the season. Casey Coleman will have at least one more audition and start Sunday in Milwaukee. Tom Gorzelanny threw Wednesday, testing his bruised left hand, but its unclear when exactly hell return.
At some point, Samardzija (11-3, 4.37 ERA at Iowa) is expected to get a start with the Cubs before they scatter for the offseason.
It doesnt matter, Samardzija said. I want to pitch and show them what I can do. Its been a wild year-and-a-half, two years. All you can do is learn and improve. (Im) really comfortable with where Im at right now.
Aramis Ramirez, who hasnt played since Sunday, continues to receive treatment for his sore right quadriceps. Quades sense is that Ramirez isnt close to being ready to play third base for an entire game, but the manager hopes to have him available soon as a pinch-hitter.
Patrick Mooney is CSNChicago.com's Cubs beat writer. Follow Patrick on Twitter @CSNMooney for up-to-the-minute Cubs news and views.