Hey, what's 'Z' problem?
Cubs have no ready answers after Zambrano's latest rough start
Carlos Zambrano and Kerry Wood together couldn't beat Ben Sheets in his return from the disabled list Wednesday at Wrigley Field.
And while that might not mean much in the final days of August, it might make all the difference for the Cubs by the final days of September if Zambrano can't be the leader of the pitching staff he was in the middle of the season and the dominant ace his $91.5 million contract extension demands.
(Tom Cruze/Sun-Times)
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Brewers crush Cubs
''You know, I'm waiting for the guy that won nine in a row earlier in the year,'' manager Lou Piniella said after Zambrano and the Cubs lost 6-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers. ''I don't know what the problem is, but he certainly hasn't been pitching like he was when he was on that streak.''
''He will [see me pitch that way again],'' Zambrano said.
Zambrano, who actually went 9-2 with a 1.41 ERA in an 11-start streak, was competitive most of the game, but his emotions might have played a role early, and his inability to recover from a fielding error behind him in the seventh inning finished him.
The Cubs still lead the National League Central by 1½ games, with the Brewers passing the St. Louis Cardinals to move back into second place, and they have no reason to think they won't be in the hunt till the final days of the season.
But if the tale of two aces Wednesday meant anything, there's no telling who might be the prey in the hunt by then.
For the Brewers, Sheets (11-4) came off the disabled list to start for the first time since mid-July and carried the team on his shoulders through six powerful innings.
He threw a consistent 95 mph and had enough command to walk only one in an uplifting performance for a Brewers team desperately searching for starting pitching during a two-month free fall.
Zambrano (14-11), on the other hand, appeared to awaken the Brewers' talented young lineup with an exaggerated fist pump and chest tap after striking out slugger Prince Fielder for the final out -- of the first inning, that is.
Fielder, who glared at Zambrano until the pitcher reached the dugout, said something to Cubs first-base coach Matt Sinatro on the way to his position, then doubled in his next at-bat and scored the first run of the game. He also was walked intentionally, then singled against Zambrano in the Brewers' four-run seventh.
Of the most significance and concern for the Cubs is that Zambrano hasn't won since July and hasn't pitched well -- not counting a three-inning rainout start -- since an Aug. 3 outing against the New York Mets was cut short by cramps after five innings.
Since that dominant 11-game streak, Zambrano has gone 0-4 with a 7.14 ERA in August -- just when the Cubs have needed him the most.
The only time they might need him more is next time. And the rest of September. Otherwise, it might be the longest month of the season for the Cubs.
''Obviously, we didn't give him any run support,'' Piniella said. ''But we need for this guy to get back to pitching the way he was and win some baseball games.''