Cubs' Zambrano scratched before Rockies' 6-3 victory
The Cubs' zero-sum game continued Friday night in Denver.
Just when they got catcher Geovany Soto off the disabled list, they lost starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano for at least Friday's game against the Rockies.
Zambrano was a late scratch just minutes before the game after his lower back tightened. The Cubs say it appeared similar to the back injury that forced Zambrano out of last Saturday's start at Florida after 3 innings.
Sean Marshall started and lasted only 2 innings as the Cubs fell 6-2 to the Rockies.
Marshall, who had not started a game since May 31, got ready quickly, but he threw 41 pitches in the first inning as the Rockies erased a 1-0 deficit with 3 runs.
The Cubs seemed to anticipate no problems with Zambrano before the game.
"He hasn't complained about anything," manager Lou Piniella was quoted by cubs.com as saying. "He's been doing his exercises, getting his throwing in. So he should be nice and strong for tonight's performance."
The Cubs may have to make a move for tonight's game, if for no other reason to help the bullpen. Right-hander Mitch Atkins was up briefly in late July, and his most recent start for Class AAA Iowa was on Monday.
Marshall, who has been in the bullpen since his May 31 start, labored through a 3-run first inning, throwing 41 pitches.
The Cubs staked Marshall to a 1-0 lead in the top of the inning on a double-play grounder by Derrek Lee, and Marshall struck out Dexter Fowler to begin the bottom of the first.
The Rockies then ran off 4 straight hits, including doubles by Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki and a 2-run single by Brad Hawpe.
Jeff Samardzija replaced Marshall in the third and lasted 4 innings. He gave up 2 runs, on a 2-run homer by Chris Iannetta in the fourth.
The Cubs stayed within striking distance of Ubaldo Jimenez (9-9), but they never could finish a rally as they went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Lee flied out to the wall in left-center in the third, leaving two on base. Kosuke Fukudome grounded into an inning-ending double play in the fifth with runners on first and second.
Alfonso Soriano drove in the Cubs' second run with a single in the sixth.
<p class="factboxtextbold12col"><b>Bruce Miles game tracker</b></p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col"><b>Rockies 6, Cubs 2</b></p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col"><b>Good and bad:</b> Right fielder Milton Bradley kicked away Brad Hawpe's single for an error in the first inning. In the second, he nailed Dexter Fowler at the plate as Fowler attempted to score from third on a flyout to shallow right.</p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col"><b>Running it up fast:</b> Emergency starter Sean Marshall threw 41 pitches in the first inning and 21 in the second. The 62 pitches were the most for Marshall since his last start, on May 31. That day, he threw 72.</p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col"><b>Rough return:</b> In his first game since July 6, Geovany Soto struck out his first three times up before grounding into a double play in the eighth inning.</p>