Jeff Samardzjia Goes 3 Innings In His Spring Debut
MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Jeff Samardzjia gave up two runs over three innings in his first start with the Chicago White Sox, enjoying a double homecoming in a 10-4 victory over the Oakland A's on Sunday.
Adam Eaton, Jose Abreu and Carlos Sanchez each drove in a pair of runs for the White Sox, who ended a three-game skid. George Kottaras hit a home run.
Samardzjia, who gave up three hits, walked one and struck out one, was 5-6 with a 3.14 ERA in 16 starts for the A's last year after being acquired from the Cubs. He made his major league debut with the Cubs, who formerly occupied HoHoKam Park.
Samardzjia arrived early at the park to visit with his former teammates. He took an informal tour of his former spring training home, commenting on the upgrades.
"He felt like the minute he walked into our clubhouse, he'd been there for a while," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "His personality was such that he fit in from day one."
Said Samardzjia: "That was a fun team to play for. It was a great time for me.
After his outing, he returned to the A's clubhouse and talked to several pitchers, who formed a circle around him.
"He's cool," A's outfielder Coco Crisp said. "Only in spring training."
Billy Butler hit a home run and Craig Gentry drove in a run for the A's, who lost for the first time in six exhibition games.
Drew Pomeranz helped his chances of securing a spot in the starting rotation with two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out four.
STARTING TIME
White Sox: Samardzjia expected to throw about 50 pitches in his first exhibition start. He was happy to go three innings. "I threw two innings in an intersquad game and today we wanted to go two and see how it went," he said. "I was trying to get my pitch count up and threw all my pitches. It was exciting and getting the adrenaline going was nice. It felt like opening day. I just took a deep breath and pounded the zone."
Athletics: Pomeranz felt he needed to control his emotions a little better. "When you first get into games sometimes you feel a little too good and you have to learn to harness it a little bit," he said. "That's what I felt like."
TRAINING ROOM
A's: Crisp left the game in the third inning with soreness in his elbow. He's not scheduled to play until Tuesday, and the A's want to be cautious. ... LHP Sean Nolin threw off flat ground for the first time. ... RHP Jarrod Parker is scheduled to throw a bullpen on Tuesday, with a chance to throw to hitters on Friday. He's up to about 45-50 pitches. . A.J. Griffin is at the 30-pitch level and has yet to use all his pitches. ... Ben Zobrist has spent all his time at second base, though Melvin said he'll start to move him around a little more.
UP NEXT
White Sox: LHP Jose Quintana will start Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Athletics: RHP Jesse Hahn starts at the Texas Rangers on Monday.
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