Staying on emotional edge part of Garza's game plan

Epstein calls right-hander 'a smarter guy than you'd think'

April 06, 2012|By Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune reporter

Matt Garza has taken over Carlos Zambrano's old locker in the Cubs clubhouse. It seems appropriate, as Garza also rivals Big Z when it comes to wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

Unlike Zambrano, Garza has been able to keep himself on the edge during the heat of competition, instead of going ballistic and hurting the team.

"That's part of the equation," President Theo Epstein said. "He embraces the competitive aspects of the game and doesn't try to pretend it's just another day. He needs his music and his time to himself, and he brings a lot to the table. He walks sort of a fine line between (being) in control and out of control, but that works for him emotionally."

Garza makes his first start of 2012 on Saturday, facing Nationals offseason acquisition Gio Gonzalez.

"He's a smarter guy than you'd think from across the field, and I don't mean that the wrong way," Epstein said of Garza. "You watch him and how energetic and extroverted and fidgety he can be, you get a certain impression about him that maybe he's not always thinking things through.

"But the reality is that he actually has a method to his madness. He knows himself really well and he understands the game really well. There is a lot more going on upstairs than people give him credit for."

Carmine watch: The Cubs' version of Carmine, the computer software program Epstein and his staff used to great success in Boston, isn't operating yet. The team announced a partnership with Bloomberg Sports in January to provide a state-of-the-art player evaluation system.

"It'll probably take a couple years until we really get to the point where we feel it's everything we want it to be," general manager Jed Hoyer said. "Right now we're pre-Bloomberg. We've found ourselves going to 10 different sources to find information. Once we streamline it and get everything in the right place, that'll go a long way."

Extra innings: Randy Wells got the win in Triple-A Iowa's opener Thursday, allowing three runs in six innings. … Bryan LaHair will be available to pinch-hit Saturday and might be back in the lineup Sunday.