Zambrano back in business
PITTSBURGH -- Now it can be told.
When Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano was summoned to a meeting last week with manager Lou Piniella and pitching coach Larry Rothschild, all parties were quiet about the subject.
Actually, the message Piniella and Rothschild wanted to send to their ace was quite simple. All that talk wasn't cheap, as the game's most expensive pitcher went out Saturday and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 for his first victory since July 29.
"I had a nice talk with the pitching coach with him the other day," said Piniella, whose team remained tied with Milwaukee for first place in the National League Central at 72-69. "I said, 'Let's put all that behind you. We need a strong finish. That's what's important.' And today, he rewarded us with a really good performance."
Not only had Zambrano been slumping, but he angered his bosses and the paying public by ripping the Wrigley Field faithful after a poor start on Labor Day. But it was all good Saturday, thanks to some simple advice.
"Get into a rhythm and throw the ball and challenge the hitters," Piniella said. "That's what we talked about a few days ago, and he did just that."
The victory upped Zambrano's record to 15-12, putting him within 1 of his single-season high for wins. It also was his first victory since he signed his five-year, $91.5 million contract extension on Aug. 17.
"Larry talked to me the other day, and he said that I had given up a lot of runs after two outs," Zambrano said. "I tried to make adjustments today with two outs. That's what was effective today."
As big a lift as Zambrano gave the Cubs, he didn't do it all by himself. Alfonso Soriano put the Cubs ahead 3-0 in the fifth inning with a 2-run homer off Pirates starter Ian Snell.
"I feel so good sometimes, like I said yesterday, that I want to try too much and not concentrate on the ball," Soriano said. "Today, I said I had to calm down and see the ball and work with my mechanics and make a good swing."
The Cubs also got stellar relief work from Carlos Marmol and Bob Howry. Zambrano gave up a first-inning single to Nate McLouth but didn't allow another hit until Adam LaRoche led off the seventh with a single. The Cubs led 4-0 at the time, and things got tight when the Pirates loaded the bases with nobody out. Marmol came on and limited the damage to 1 run.
In the eighth, Marmol hit a batter and then walked two with two outs. Howry rode to the rescue by getting Ronny Paulino on an inning-ending groundout.
"I've been saying this year: We have a good bullpen," Zambrano said. "The season started with our bullpen struggling, but I know we have a good bullpen."
The Cubs outhit the Pirates 8-2, with Jacque Jones contributing 2 RBI, 1 on a ninth-inning triple. But this victory revolved around Zambrano, and that could be huge for the Cubs down the stretch.
"I was trying to do too much for the team," Zambrano said. "Then I had a conversation with Lou and Larry the other day. I think that took off a little bit of pressure. I want to not try to do too much and do my job."
Cubs 5, Pirates 1
At the plate: Alfonso Soriano hit his 23rd homer of the season, a 2-run shot in the fifth. It came on the first pitch. When Soriano puts the first pitch into play this year, he is 33-for-64 with an .891 slugging percentage.
On the mound: Carlos Zambrano snapped his five-game losing streak and earned his first victory since July 29. He worked 6 innings, giving up 2 hits and 1 run. He walked five and struck out eight. Of the 112 pitches he threw, 63 were strikes. Carlos Marmol bailed Zambrano out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the seventh, allowing 1 inherited runner to score. Bob Howry bailed Marmol out of bases-loaded trouble in the eighth.
-- Bruce Miles