Steve Smyth--Cub's Tues starter--info

[Terryray]

Cubs ready to promote lefty Smyth

August 4, 2002

Chicago Sun Times


The Cubs expected their top left-handed pitching prospect, Steve Smyth, to join them when rosters ex-pand in September. But Smyth will be called up Tuesday from Class AAA Iowa to start against the San Francisco Giants at Pac Bell Park.

Smyth will take the place of Carlos Zambrano in a move that will serve two purposes. First, it will give the Cubs a chance to take a look at the 24-year-old Smyth. Second, it will allow Zambrano to serve a five-game suspension for his involvement in a June 4 brawl between Iowa and Salt Lake City.

Zambrano was on a rehab assignment with Iowa when the bench-clearing brawl broke out. Cubs manager Bruce Kimm, who was Iowa's manager at the time, also was among those who were suspended.

Zambrano left his start Wednesday with muscle soreness in his right arm, but the discomfort subsided and he was scheduled to pitch Tuesday in place of Jon Lieber, who is on the disabled list with tendinitis in his right elbow. On Saturday, though, Zambrano dropped his appeal of the suspension to begin serving it immediately.

"Carlos is fine to go, and he's been cleared medically,'' general manager Jim Hendry said. "But he was going to have to serve the suspension anyway, and with the off day Monday, it works out. It works out well with Smyth because he pitched on the same day Lieber pitched [Thursday].''

Smyth has been one of the Cubs' top prospects since being chosen in the fourth round of the 1999 draft out of Southern California. He was a reliever in college, but the Cubs turned him into a starter in his second season.

"My experience is when you draft relievers out of college, you want them to pitch a lot,'' Hendry said. "You don't make guys closers in Class A. For him, it was a matter of having him pitch more, and he has four pretty good pitches [fastball, curve, slider and changeup]. He had some shrinkage of the shoulder socket last year that required surgery. He's had a few bad outings, but he's been pretty consistent otherwise and threw six shutout innings his last game. He usually throws around 89 to 91 mph, he can pitch and he's not afraid. We're throwing him out there in a tough environment, but you have to start somewhere.''

Smyth was an all-star in the Class A Florida State League in 2000 and in the Class AA Southern League in 2001. He started this season at Class AA West Tenn and went 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA in 11 starts, striking out 74 in 73 innings. He was promoted July 9 to Iowa, where he was 3-2 with a 6.15 ERA in five starts.

The Cubs opted to promote Smyth instead of giving reliever Juan Cruz a start.

"Cruz has been doing a very good job in the bullpen, and we need him there,'' Hendry said.

Smyth is expected to make only one start, depending on the health of the rest of the staff. Jason Bere, who has been on the disabled list with a bruised right knee and a pulled groin muscle, might be getting close to a rehab assignment, Hendry said. Lieber's status won't be clear until he is examined Monday by orthopedic specialist James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.

 

[Terryray]

08/04/2002 2:00 pm ET

MLBeat: Smyth readies for debut

By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com


CHICAGO -- Steve Smyth will make his Major League debut Tuesday for the Chicago Cubs. His first opponent? The San Francisco Giants and Barry Bonds.
"It's always a dream to face some of your heroes so now I have the chance," said Smyth, unfazed at facing Bonds and Co.

The left-handed pitcher will be officially added to the Major League roster Tuesday, replacing Jon Lieber who is on the disabled list with a tender elbow. Smyth pitched at Double-A West Tenn and Triple-A Iowa this year, his first season back after shoulder surgery one year ago.

"My Spring Training started when everyone else's broke, so I'm basically just a month behind everyone else," Smyth said. "During Spring Training I was going through rehab exercises and being around these guys and absorbing the whole experience.

"I'm 100 percent now," he said. "There'll be times where my velocity is up and down. It's not about velocity here, it's about where you can put it and what pitch selection you use."

Cubs interim manager Bruce Kimm's advice for Tuesday: "Don't change a thing. Just go out and pitch your game."

"There's no butterflies," said Smyth, 24, who threw on the side Sunday at Wrigley Field, "but I feel like my head's about to float off. It's my first time here. I've seen the outside of Wrigley Field in pictures and stuff but this is my first time here.

"I'm taking in the whole experience," he said. "Everything they say about the bleacher bums is true -- it's awesome. If I were Sammy (Sosa), I'd love playing right field."

Since Jamie Moyer won nine games for the Cubs in 1988, only one southpaw pitcher produced in the Cubs farm system (Scott Downs in 2000) has recorded a victory for the team. The bleacher fans knew all about Smyth.

"They said 'Welcome to Chicago,' 'Rookie of the Year 2003,' and this and that, and 'Let Barry know you're here to stay,'" Smyth said. "They know what they're talking about. I think I'll be in right field most of (batting practice)."

Peaks and Valleys: How do relievers handle the ups and downs so often associated with their job? It's difficult, said Cubs right-hander Joe Borowski.

"When you're in a sustained period of being in a slump, it can wear you down (mentally)," he said. "The biggest thing I try to do is whatever happened in my last outing is out of my head.

"I'll do that even if it's a good outing because you don't want to rest on your laurels," he said. "'Oh well, I went out there and pitched great and I'm going to do that every time.' Just as you don't dwell on doing bad, if you dwell on how good you're doing, it can get you both ways."

Borowski, who entered Sunday's game with a 3-4 record and 2.67 ERA, said he tries to erase that day's outing 20 minutes after the game is over. Boom, time to move on. But don't the pitchers talk in the pen?

"Sometimes somebody might bring something up and you talk about what you did," Borowski said. "You don't dwell on it. There's an old saying, 'It's done, forget about it and just get ready to go out there the next time.'"

Making Progress: Cubs right-hander Jason Bere, on the disabled list since late June because of a sore groin, is not throwing off a mound but doing long toss and has not experienced any setbacks in his rehab.

"He's done some agility drills where instead of walking, he's jogging," Cubs athletic trainer Dave Tumbas said. "His strength is getting much better. We're able to do some resistance exercises with his legs. He's not coming in sore and that's a good sign. The strength is improving daily."

Fantasy Edge: Moises Alou entered Sunday's game 10-for-21 with a homer and nine RBIs in his last five games.




....................................................................................................................


08/05/2002 11:16 am ET

MLBeat: Smyth, Prior have 'reunion'

By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com


CHICAGO -- Mark Prior and Steve Smyth both know the USC fight song, but the two pitchers, now teammates with the Chicago Cubs, weren't exactly fraternity brothers.
Smyth, 24, scheduled to make his Major League debut Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants, was a reliever for the University of Southern California team in 1999. The Cubs drafted the left-hander in the fourth round that year and assigned him to Class A Eugene.

Prior, 21, the Cubs' No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft, recorded his first professional complete game in his 14th big league start Sunday against Colorado, striking out a season-high 13. He was 25-8 in two seasons at USC, including a 15-1 record in 2001.

"I missed Prior at USC," Smyth said. "I came in the year before him for one year and he pitched two years after. I've heard about him."

The Cubs converted Smyth to a starter in the minors and it's a role he prefers. Asked what he'll do in his first big league game, the lefty smiled.

"I'm going to keep on doing whatever got me here," he said. "There's no need to change. If I got here doing what I normally do, what's the point [in changing]?"

Smyth prefers to model himself after Tom Glavine or Mark Mulder. What about another southpaw, Randy Johnson?

"The 'Unit' is the ideal lefty," Smyth said. "He throws 99 [mph] in the ninth inning on 190 pitches. That's not me. Not many people are the Unit. He's just his unique self."

Smyth (pronounced smeyeth) has never been to Pac Bell Park.

"Coming home from A-ball my first year, I drove by Candlestick Park but that's the closest I've been to seeing any park in San Francisco," he said.

South of the border: In 1993, left-hander Greg Hibbard was 15-11 with a 3.96 ERA in 31 starts for the Cubs. In 8 2/3 seasons since then, spanning 1,338 games, the Cubs have had a left-handed pitcher start 97 contests. And they've won only 19 of those games.



Medical update: Cubs right-hander Jon Lieber was to be examined by orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews on Monday in Birmingham, Ala. Lieber was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday with tendinitis in his right elbow. Cubs athletic trainer Dave Tumbas said Andrews may do an MRI on Lieber's elbow but results may not be available until Tuesday.

 

[Terryray]

The king and the kid

Two ends of the spectrum: Bonds two shy of 600 homers; Cubs pitcher Smyth making his debut

Tuesday, August 6, 2002




By Jeff Vorva
Staff writer, The Daily Southtown


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cubs rookie pitcher Steve Smyth, meet San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds.
Oh wait, the two have already met on a pair of occasions. Bonds may not remember them, but the 24-year-old Smyth ?who will make his major league debut against the Giants and Bonds tonight at Pac Bell Park ?sure does.

The first encounter came in 1989, early in Bonds' career and when Smyth wasn't yet a teenager.

"He smiled at me,'' Smyth said. "I was playing Little League ball in Temecula, Calif., and he came to one of our games because his lawyer's son was playing in our league.

"He came to the park one day, and all of these little kids were asking him to sign cards. He signed a card for me and smiled, and I said, 'Thank you, Barry.' I was all awestruck.''

The second meeting came during this past spring training, and Smyth still gushed.

"I was at a Best Buy in Scottsdale (Ariz.) with my wife (Jaclyn) to pick up a CD,'' he said. "Barry walked in ahead of us. I said, 'That's Barry Bonds!' I went up to him and congratulated him on last year, and I told him he was awesome. He said, 'Thank you, thank you.' I told him I was a player, but I didn't tell him who I was playing for. I'm sure he gets bothered all the time. But it was really cool to see him.''

And now the two will meet on the field.

"It's ironic how things work out,'' Smyth said. "I've grown up seeing him play. It's always fun to face one of your heroes. Now I get that chance.

"I don't feel butterflies. But I feel like my head is about to float off.''

Smyth better not be too nervous in his debut or he could be a part of history. Bonds enters the three-game set against the Cubs with 598 homers. If Smyth lets go of a couple of ill-advised pitches, he could be on the highlight shows for giving up a milestone homer to Bonds, who would be the fourth player in major league history to reach 600.

Bonds has feasted on pitchers he doesn't know very well. Since the start of his historic 73-homer season in 2001, Bonds has gone 38-for-76 (.500) with 15 home runs against pitchers he's facing for the first time.

Any advice for the kid, Manager Bruce Kimm?

"I don't tell him to change a thing ?I just tell him to 'go out and pitch your game' '' Kimm said. "I don't want him to do anything different from what he did to get here.''

Smyth is up for at least a couple of starts while rookie Carlos Zambrano serves a five-game suspension for his role in a minor league fight in June and while Jon Lieber (elbow tendinitis) and Jason Bere (groin injury) are on the mend.

Smyth, the first lefty to start for the Cubs since Joey Nation on Sept. 28, 2000, has a fastball in the low-90s plus a slider, changeup and cut fastball in his arsenal.

He underwent shoulder surgery last Aug. 14 and bounced back better than club officials expected. He was 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA at Double-A West Tenn and 3-2 with a 6.15 ERA for Triple-A Iowa this season. In his last outing for Iowa, he threw six shutout innings against Salt Lake.

Smyth and teammate Ben Christensen (who had shoulder surgery May 10, 2001) were brothers in recovery when they pitched for West Tenn this year. Smyth's recovery was quick, while Christensen struggled. Christensen then got into a groove before suffering a season-ending elbow injury that required "Tommy John'' re-constructive surgery.

"It's just a luck of the draw,'' Smyth said. "We both put in a lot of hard work. I don't think mine was all that big of a procedure. I had a fray in a muscle, and they shaved off a bone.

"I'm 100 percent now. There are times in your first year when your velocity is up and down. I've had a few outings where it wasn't quite there. But it's not all about velocity. It's where you can put your pitches.''

Especially when a guy like Bonds is at the plate.

 

[Terryray]

Smyth's major-league debut to feature childhood hero Bonds

By Lindsey Willhite Daily Herald Sports Writer

Posted on August 06, 2002

If you tune in tonight and see a portsider pitching for the North Siders, rest assured the image on your TV screen hasn't been reversed.

You're watching Steve Smyth, a 24-year-old left-hander making his major-league debut as the Cubs start a six-game road trip in San Francisco.

How rare is Smyth's audition against the Giants?

Over the last 15 years, the Cubs' minor-league system has developed left-handed starters about as efficiently as it has cultivated unicorns.

Since Jamie Moyer managed 9 wins in 1988, Scott Downs has been the only lefty raised on the Cubs' farm to go on and win a game for the parent club.

Four home-grown wins from lefthanders in 13-plus seasons is a sad commentary. So is the fact the Cubs haven't trotted out any left-handed starter to the mound since late in the 2000 season.

Starting tonight, Smyth hopes to give Cubs fans something better to discuss. The Temecula, Calif., resident certainly will make some left-handed comments worthy of discussion.

"I feel like my head's about to float off," Smyth said Sunday. "It's my first time here (at Wrigley Field). I'm just taking in the whole experience."

In particular, Smyth came away impressed by the Wrigley Field fans that sit beyond the ivy.

"Everything they say about the Bleacher Bums is true," Smyth said. "They're awesome, man. If I were Sammy (Sosa), I would love playing right field here.

"They were saying, 'Welcome to Chicago,' and 'Rookie of the Year 2003,' and 'Let them know you're here to stay.' I think I'll be in right field during most of BP."

But Smyth, the Cubs' fourth-round pick in the 1999 free-agent draft, will be in Pac Bell tonight.

This means the fourth batter he'll face in his big-league career will be Barry Bonds, who's just 2 homers shy of 600.

"Growing up seeing him play, he was always one of my heroes," Smyth said. "Now I get the chance (to pitch against him)."

Smyth won't exactly fear Bonds. Why not? Smyth explained it using some left-handed rationale.

"He smiled at me when I was little," Smyth said.

Smyth, who posted a 7-6 record and a 4.26 ERA in 16 minor-league starts this year, will go to the mound armed with more than warm childhood memories.

He falls in the Tom Glavine and Mark Buehrle mold of lefties. He doesn't throw much harder than 90 mph, but he offsets his pedestrian heater with a changeup and good movement on his curve and slider.

"It's not about velocity," Smyth said. "It's where you put it that counts and what pitch selection you use."

Cubs manager Bruce Kimm hasn't seen Smyth pitch, so he wants the chance for an honest evaluation today.

"Don't change a thing," Kimm advised. "Just go out and pitch your game. I'm just going to throw him out there and observe."

If Smyth looks good enough, he might earn more than a one-shot deal. Kimm could slip Smyth into Carlos Zambrano's or Jon Lieber's slot in the rotation.

"There's no doubt on your staff you'd like to have a little different look," Kimm said.

Smyth certainly looks different than the other Cubs starters, but he's no different than any other rookie. He'll perform any role that keeps him in the bigs.

"If it's going to enable me to stay here," Smyth said. "I'll do whatever they ask me to do."

from Sun-Times

HISTORIC PACE: Fred McGriff has 1,475 career RBI, equaling Cubs Hall of Famer Billy Williams for 41st place on the all-time list.

''I've been blessed to go out and play and to stay consistent,'' he said. ''Billy was a great player, and having the opportunity to meet him and know him, now I can have something on him, too.''

McGriff has been hitting well since July, going 30-for-101 (.297) in the last 27 games compared to .269 overall. His 23 homers are second to Sammy Sosa's 33, but his 75 RBI lead the team. When he reaches 80, he will have achieved 15 consecutive seasons of at least 80 RBI, a streak surpassed only by Hank Aaron's 17-year run from 1955 to '71.

McGriff will be looking for his first career home run at Pac Bell Park this week. He has homered in every other major-league park except for Arizona's Bank One Ballpark and Pittsburgh's PNC Park.

SHIFTY BUSINESS: Kimm generally leaves the defensive placement of his infielders and outfielders to coaches Sandy Alomar and Rene Lachemann. But when it comes to slugger Barry Bonds, Kimm is likely to change the defense.

''We'll probably put a shift on Bonds,'' he said. ''There aren't many guys I'd do that with, maybe Gary Sheffield, too. You have to be careful because if you have a pitcher who throws hard, it might not be good to put a shift on [the batter], and we have a lot of guys who throw 95-plus mph.''

 

[cisco]

I like the Giants and over 9.

Like another guy said today in another thread....

They're still the Cubs. :drinky: