Zambrano pitches, says 'everything back to normal'

PEORIA - The first thing Carlos Zambrano picked up late Thursday afternoon was a bat.

Nothing should be surprising about that.

The Cubs' ace right-hander loves nothing better than taking his hacks, sometimes to the chagrin of his organization.

But Zambrano took it easy in batting practice for the Peoria Chiefs, launching "only" six balls out of the park, with a prevailing gale behind them.

"Looks like I'm ready, huh?" he said.

Alas, they use the designated hitter in the Midwest League, and Zambrano was here to pitch, anyway, as he made a rehab start in preparation for coming off the disabled list Tuesday.

Zambrano easily passed this test in his comeback from lower-back spasms.

Pitching against the Clinton LumberKings, Zambrano tossed 5 uneventful innings, giving up 4 hits and no runs. He walked none, struck out five and uncorked 1 wild pitch. Zambrano threw 76 pitches, 54 for strikes.

"It felt good today," said Zambrano, who has been on the disabled list retroactive to Aug. 2. "I like what I see today. It's different when you pitch against A-ball guys than the big leagues. I think everything is back to normal."

Although Zambrano was in a good mood, he took issue with people who criticized him in light of his own words about being "lazy" with his back exercises.

"Lazy people don't have this body," he said. "People get hurt. We are human, and we get hurt. (Albert) Pujols, the best hitter in baseball, he gets hurt. He was playing with that thing in his elbow or shoulder or whatever - we are not machines."

Zambrano reiterated that he is "not 18, not 16. I learned that the older I get, the harder I have to work. It's not that I don't work, but I need to work harder."

The 28-year-old righty worked a 1-2-3 first inning before giving up a single and striking out two in the second. He faced his only real test in the third, when the LumberKings had runners on second and third with one out. Zambrano bore down and struck out the final two hitters of the inning.

But he had more to say.

"I want to say something, and I'll get in trouble with this," he said. "Sometimes I'm like (Sox manager) Ozzie Guillen. I say some things that people don't agree with. But every time I go to the DL, I don't want to go to the DL. Believe me, I hate to be on the DL.

"When I have to go to the DL, sometimes you have to protect your career, and the Cubs are trying to protect my career and do what's best for me."

That seemed tame enough, and Zambrano said the batting-practice session was no big deal, either.

Zambrano drew a crowd of 7,604 to O'Brien Field, with a good number gathering down the right-field line to watch him warm up in the bullpen before the game. The fans were joined by a gaggle of Chiefs pitchers who stopped and watched as Zambrano warmed up with catcher Michael Brenly, son of Cubs TV analyst Bob Brenly.

"When I went to Daytona on my last rehab, there was like 200 people," Zambrano said. "I didn't expect that many people tonight. It was very special. I guess it's because (Peoria is) closer than Daytona.

"I appreciate that. When I first came in, I signed some autographs. I think I will sign more on the way out and keep the fans, you know, cool."