Easy does it for Zambrano
"Rush delivery" is a nice thing if you're waiting for an important package.
It's not so good if you're a starting pitcher looking for the first opening-day victory of your career.
Carlos Zambrano came out firing for the Cubs Monday night at Minute Maid Park. Trouble was, Zambrano came out firing so quickly that he threw 4 straight balls in record time to Astros leadoff man Kaz Matsui.
The start looked to be more of the same-old, same-old for Zambrano, who had a bad habit of over-amping it most of his previous 4 season-opening starts.
But instead of melting down, Zambrano settled down and earned the win in the Cubs' 4-2 victory over the Astros.
Zambrano had been 0-1 with a 5.57 ERA in 4 previous opening-day starts, and there had been some question as to whether he would get the nod.
In Monday's game, Zambrano allowed 4 hits over his first 3 innings, but got help from some bad baserunning by the Astros.
Zambrano took control in the third after Houston put runners on first and third with one out. He struck out Ivan Rodriguez and got Lance Berkman to ground out, beginning a run of 10 batters retired in a row. Zambrano dialed up his fastball to get first-pitch strikes on Rodriguez and Berkman, both of whom had trouble catching up.
The Cubs held a 3-0 lead into the seventh, and then the bullpen set up perfectly for its first test, which it passed almost flawlessly.
After Zambrano allowed the first two batters to reach, Piniella went his with preordained seventh-inning man, Aaron Heilman, who got a quick double play from Hunter Pence before speedy Michael Bourne dribbled an infield single.
Piniella went with lefty Neal Cotts to face left-handed pinch hitter Darin Erstad. Astros manager Cecil Cooper countered with Jason Michaels. Cotts, whose' lefty-right splits were about even last year, retired Michaels.
Reluctant setup man Carlos Marmol allowed only a harmless walk in the eighth. Closer Kevin Gregg gave up a leadoff single to Miguel Tejada in the ninth.
Piniella inserted speedy Joey Gathright into center field at the start of the inning, but instead of moving Kosuke Fukudome from center to right, Piniella left Milton Bradley in right. Bradley ranged into right-center but seemed to have trouble seeing Geoff Blum's flyball, and it went off Bradley's glove for a hit. Gregg allowed only a sacrifice fly in getting the next three batters in earning his first save as a Cub and helping Zambrano to stop the talk of his opening-day woes.
"He pitched well, he really did," Piniella told reporters in Houston. "The way we drew it up before the ballgame is the way the game played out. It's a good formula. Let's hope it continues to work."