Blum's 11th-inning homer gives Astros win

There's real concern at Wrigley Field these days and not only because the Cubs are mired in a four-game losing streak.

Ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano has a date with the doctor today.

After beginning the game with a bang Tuesday night, Zambrano left after pitching 5 innings because his troublesome right shoulder apparently was hurting him. Long, long after Zambrano was gone, the Houston Astros beat the Cubs 9-7 on Geoff Blum's 2-run homer in the 11th against Kerry Wood.

The Cubs held their 4-game lead over Milwaukee in the National League Central, but they suddenly have issues in their starting rotation, with Zambrano's early exit and Rich Harden getting nearly two weeks between starts as the Cubs take care of his shoulder.

Zambrano, who was making his first start since Aug. 26 at Pittsburgh, reached 95-plus mph on his fastball in a 1-2-3 first inning, could not answer the bell for the sixth.

"He told our pitching coach he wasn't feeling good," said manager Lou Piniella, referring to coach Larry Rothschild. "And he went up with the trainer. He's going to see Dr. (Stephen Gryzlo) tomorrow. So we'll know more about it. It has to be in his arm. I just don't know."

There isn't much the Cubs can do if Zambrano is out for any length of time.

"Look, if he can pitch, he'll pitch, and if he can't, we'll put (Sean) Marshall in the rotation and go from there," Piniella said. "That's the end of it."

The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the first on Alfonso Soriano's leadoff homer. They were up 3-1 in the fourth after solo blasts by Mark DeRosa and Geovany Soto.

Zambrano stranded two runners in the fourth, and ran his pitch count to 86 in the fifth, giving up the tying runs.

"To be honest with you, he threw a little bit better than the last couple of outings, but I really don't know what's going on said Soto, the Cubs' catcher. "Right now, he looks a little different."

Zambrano spent time on the disabled list in late June and early July with a "mild" strain of his right shoulder. The Cubs gave him two extra days for this start because he was experiencing a "dead arm."

Things quickly fell apart after Zambrano left, with Bob Howry giving up 4 runs in the sixth without retiring any of the five batters he faced. The Cubs had to hurry up and get Howry ready after Angel Guzman warmed up for much of the previous half-inning.

"Regardless of the situation, you've got to make pitches and get outs," Howry said. "It's frustrating."

The Cubs began a comeback of their own with 3 in the sixth, 2 coming on a double by Ryan Theriot and another on Mike Fontenot's RBI single. A two-out homer in the seventh by Jim Edmonds tied the game at 7-7.

There were chances after that, the biggest coming in the eighth, but Derrek Lee grounded into an inning-ending double play after the Cubs drew 3 walks.

"You don't have to have a hit in that situation to get a run in," Lee said. "The last thing we needed was a double play."

Carlos Marmol worked 2 scoreless innings of relief, surviving 1 of 3 errors by third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Wood was in his second inning when he gave up the game-winning homer.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=232127">Are Cubs' tired bats finally awakening?<span class="date"> [9/3/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=232135">Lee takes blame for failing in the clutch<span class="date">[9/2/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=232128">Questions about Harden make Hendry testy <span class="date">[9/2/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>