MESA, Ariz. -- As a legitimate Major League workhorse, Jeff Samardzija probably doesn't envision Spring Trainings such as this one when he contemplates preparing for the regular season.
Samardzija did not pitch more than four innings in any of his five Cactus League exhibitions this year. That trend continued Wednesday, when he yielded three runs and seven hits spanning 3 1/3 innings in a Triple-A exhibition against Chicago Cubs farmhands.
Samardzija is the only pitcher in the Majors besides Washington's Max Scherzer to work at least 200 innings each year for five consecutive seasons.