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Staff ace? More like a bad joker

Someday, presumably, Carlos Zambrano is going to grow up.

But that day wasn't Wednesday.

In a most critical situation with a chance to bury the Brewers, you would have thought Zambrano could stow his petulance for an evening.

That's what you get for thinking.

Zambrano did everything he could to wake the sleeping giant with his usual array of pointing, dancing, screaming and fist pumping -- and, offered the opportunity to deliver the dagger to a dying club, Zambrano instead gave the Brewers new life.

They dragged that back foot out of the coffin, and the Brewers beat Zambrano and the Cubs 6-1 at Wrigley Field.

The notion that you don't give your opponent any extra incentive to beat you is an adage as old as any in sports, but it'll be news to Zambrano if the concept ever reaches his grasp.

Even now that he has been compensated like an ace, asked to be a leader and paid to be an adult, Zambrano remains a childish tantrum away from losing any game he pitches.

Not that he pitched poorly, because he threw well and headed into the seventh trailing only 2-1.

But when it was all said and done, Zambrano had allowed 5 earned runs and departed with an August ERA of 6.99, a record of 0-4, and averaging less than 6 innings per start.

Hardly the stuff of a $91.5 million pitcher.

It didn't help that Zambrano wasted no time angering the Brewers or home-plate umpire Gerry Davis when he protested close calls in the first inning, and went nuts after striking out Prince Fielder. He jumped off the mound, pointed, hollered and acted like he had recorded the final out of the World Series.

And all that time, Fielder just stood at home plate and stared at Zambrano, watching his every movement into the dugout, before having words with Cubs first-base coach Matt Sinatro when he reached the bag.

Asked postgame if he was bothered, Fielder smiled and said, "A little bit.''

In the fourth, with the Cubs ahead 1-0 and Zambrano throwing a 1-hitter, Fielder led off and laced Zambrano's third pitch into the left-field gap for a double.

When he reached second base, Fielder waited for the pitcher to look at him and screamed with delight, clapping five times fast and hard, mocking the man who said he'd win the Cy Young Award this season.

I asked Fielder if that was particularly satisfying, noting his applause at second, to which Fielder laughed and said, "I didn't really clap. I just said 'timeout.' ''

Fielder then laughed again and changed the subject.

"It felt good,'' he said, "to win a big game.''

Fielder scored the tying run in the fourth, had an intentional walk -- during which Zambrano nearly fired a wild pitch in anger -- and singled to load the bases in the 4-run seventh that knocked out Zambrano (14-11).

The Cubs fell to 14-14 in Zambrano starts this year, and he dropped to 5-7 at home with a 4.60 ERA. His last victory came July 29 at Cincinnati, while Milwaukee starter Ben Sheets (11-4) came off the disabled list and won for first time in two months.

"That's a big lift for us,'' Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "It settles down the pitching staff when our ace is out there doing what he's supposed to do.''

The Cubs would like to know that feeling.

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