Sonstiges » Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Sel

CHICAGO -- Jeff Samardzija will find himself on a familiar mound but in an unaccustomed role on Thursday.A onetime baseball and football standout from northwest Indiana and a Chicago Cubs pitching mainstay from 2008 to 2014, Samardzija will try to shut down his former team as the San Francisco Giants arrive for the opener of a four-game weekend series.The 31-year-old Samardzija, in his first season with the Giants, faces his former team for only the second time in his career and first at Wrigley Field at 8:05 p.m. ET Thursday.Im sure hes excited about it, San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday. Hes spent some time there. He knows Wrigley Field. Hes been throwing the ball well. I hope he continues that into tomorrows game.The Giants, currently leading the National League wild-card standings, are making their only Wrigley Field appearance of the season.They took two of three from the Cubs on May 20-22 at AT&T Park.Samardzija declined a long-term Cubs offer in 2014 and began an odyssey that took him to Oakland (via trade), to the Chicago White Sox last year and finally this season to the Giants.Set to make his 26th start of 2016, Samardzija is coming off a seven-inning shutout performance on Aug. 26 against the Atlanta Braves that included seven hits, six strikeouts and three walks.Hes 0-1 all-time against the Cubs, suffering the loss on Aug. 14, 2015, when the White Sox beat their cross-town rivals 6-5 at U.S. Cellular Field.The Cubs counter with Mike Montgomery (1-1, 3.50 ERA), who was originally slated to pitch Wednesday but swapped spots with Jason Hammel.Montgomery, 27, makes his third start with the Cubs, all against NL West opponents, including two against the Giants. He threw 91 pitches, allowed three runs despite walking four and gave up six hits in a no-decision on Aug. 26 at the Los Angeles Dodgers, a 6-4 extra-innings victory.I decided to give him an extra day, Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters. It just made all the sense in the world to do it that way. I talked to Hammer (Jason Hammel) about it yesterday, and he was fine. Montgomery was good with it, so thats what were going to do.Montgomery has made 20 career starts, going 5-7 with a 4.39 ERA and two complete game shutouts in 2015.Chicagos spacious new clubhouse will easily handle additions arriving this week as rosters expand to 40 on Thursday.The Cubs got the jump on added personnel by recalling versatile infielder Tommy La Stella and his .295 bat from Triple-A Iowa and inserting him in Wednesday lineup.LaStella had played in 51 games before a declining to report as assigned to Triple-A Iowa in late July, then later agreeing to a minor league stint.Hes expected to be a frequent September contributor and through the subsequent NL playoffs.After the series against the Giants, the Cubs embark on a 10-day, nine-game road trip that takes them to Milwaukee, Houston and St. Louis. Cheap Miami Dolphins Jerseys China . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Cheap Oakland Raiders Jerseys China . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. http://www.cheapfootballchina.com/cheap-san-francisco-49ers-jerseys-china_745w.html . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Cheap Cincinnati Bengals Jerseys China . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. Cheap Detroit Lions Jerseys China .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander came in second in the Cy Young Award voting to Boston Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello, despite receiving eight first-place votes to Verlanders 14.Kate Upton, Verlanders fiancée, took to Twitter shortly after the vote to express her displeasure that the Tigers pitcher came up short in what was the second-closest election since 1970, when voterss were permitted to select more than one pitcher.ddddddddddddew York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who finished eighth in the NL Cy Young voting, had some fun with Uptons rant.Verlanders brother Ben also took to Twitter to make the case for the Tigers starter. ' ' '