Jeff Smardzija remains winless on the season and yet is the center of every trade rumor in baseball. For now, the Chicago Cubs pitcher will face the New York Yankees for the last time this regular season as he seeks his first win in the last 16 games. After losing their first game 6-1, New York is looking to bounce back in their final Windy City game and take down the league's best ERA.
Samardzija has a 1.62 ERA which is the best in baseball, but has yet to get a win, sitting at 0-4 on the season. His losing streak dates back to August thanks to a lack of run support. He took the lead in the ERA race against Johnny Cueto saw his balloon from 1.25 to 1.86 following a loss with the Nationals. Samardzija's last start was not his best. He gave up four runs and three walks in five innings to the Brewers. However, prior to that he had yet to allow any earned runs in 15 innings pitched. Meanwhile, the Cubs batting order is giving him just 2.21 runs of support, the lowest in the league.
The Cubs have made Samardzija available for trades with many teams dealing with injuries. Could the Yankees make a play for him? The team is in need of arms after CC Sabathia was ruled out for the next six weeks. As a result, Chase Whitley will be filling in for his second career start. He gave up two hits and two walks in just over four innings against the Mets.
The Yankees took an unexpected loss on Tuesday at the arm of Masahiro Tanaka. The pitcher suffered his first loss in the majors following his signing with the Yankees. He saw his unbeaten streak of 42 games come to an end as Chicago got four runs in six innings off the starter. The Cubs have now won three games in a row and look to keep up momentum.
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