Is Zambrano really retiring?

Is this really it for the Cubs and Carlos Zambrano?

Word out of Atlanta on Friday night was that Zambrano cleaned out his locker and told various people he was retiring or considering retirement following the Cubs' 10-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

That simply turned a bad evening into a bizarre one.

Zambrano had given up 5 home runs over his 4⅓ innings of work. After he allowed back-to-back homers to Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla in the fifth inning, Zambrano threw inside to Chipper Jones, earning an ejection from home-plate umpire Tim Timmons.

When reporters got to the clubhouse after the game, they relayed that Zambrano had vacated the premises and had talked retirement.

Manager Mike Quade clearly was not amused.

“He didn't have it tonight,” Quade was quoted as saying. “I'm really disappointed. His locker is empty. I don't know where he's at. He walked out on 24 guys that are battling their (butts) off for him. I don't know where he's gone or what he's doing. I heard he's retired, or talking about retiring.”

If the Cubs want to look at the bright side in all of this, it's that they'll save $18 million on Zambrano's contract for next year, his final guaranteed.

Nobody really knows whether Zambrano will follow through on this apparent threat or whether Cubs ownership and general manager Jim Hendry will say “enough.”

During a brief late-night phone call, Hendry repeated to me what he told the media in Atlanta: “We'll certainly acknowledge his wishes and move forward.”

Zambrano, who has had his run-ins with teammates and umpires in the past, spent a month last year on the restricted list for a dugout tirade after a dugout tirade at U.S. Cellular Field during a game against the White Sox.

The 30-year-old pitcher came back strong at the end of last year, going 8-0 with a 1.41 ERA down the stretch.

Although Zambrano lost the unofficial title of “ace” of the staff to Ryan Dempster this year, he had pitched respectably. Entering Friday's game at Turner Field, Zambrano was 9-6 with a 4.46 ERA. He had won 3 of his previous 4 starts. If Zambrano has retired, he does so with a lifetime record of 125-81 and an ERA of 3.60.

But against the Braves, he gave up 8 hits and 8 runs, including 5 home runs. He became the third Cubs pitcher since 1955 to give up 5 homers in a game, joining Ismael Valdez (2000) and Steve Stone (1974).

Quade seemed completely at a loss.

“I figured he's just decided he's had enough,” he told reporters. “I have too much respect for the rest of the guys in this room to worry. It's on him now, and whatever he wants to do, whatever he's going to do, I guess he's made up his mind because he didn't stick around and tell anybody about it.”

Zambrano's teammates, if they can still be called that, seemed equally perplexed.

“He's retiring?” center fielder Marlon Byrd asked reporters. “Well, then that means he's had enough then. People retire for certain reasons. They're done with the game. If that's the case, I wish him well. I don't know. I have no clue. He's talked about it before ... I guess we'll see (Saturday). If he doesn't show up, we might not see him again.”

Third baseman Aramis Ramirez told the media his own take.

“I know he's not a bad guy, he just doesn't know how to control his emotions sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes he just loses it, and I think he did tonight.”

We've heard that before.

bmiles@dailyherald.com