Zambrano moves back into starting rotation
Carlos Zambrano will return to the mound as a starting pitcher Wednesday in Pittsburgh, Cubs manager Lou Piniella said before the series finale against St. Louis on Sunday.
Zambrano will get his first starting nod since April 20. In 4 starts before he was sent to the bullpen, the Cubs' opening-day pitcher was 1-2 with a 7.45 ERA. He allowed 1 hit in his last 41/3 innings of relief over a span of 4 appearances.
In preparation for his return to the rotation, Zambrano threw 73 pitches in a simulated game at Wrigley Field last Monday.
"He's been throwing the ball well the past 10 days or so," Piniella said. "Now we need for him to carry that over into the rotation and win some ballgames for us. That's really what we need. He'll make our rotation stronger if he pitches the way he's capable of pitching."
Zambrano's return to the rotation caused a logjam with six starting pitchers for five spots. Thus, left-hander Tom Gorzelanny was deemed the odd man out and sent to the bullpen Sunday. In 9 starts this season, Gorzelanny is 2-5 with a 3.66 ERA in 512/3 innings.
"It is what it is," Gorzelanny said in monotone after Sunday's 9-1 loss to St. Louis. "I'll go do my job there and see what happens."
Gorzelanny sees himself as a starter, not a reliever.
"That's what I am," he said. "This is a decision they made, and I have to be sure to do my job, whatever it is. If it's in the pen, that's fine.
"I felt like I've done pretty good this year, you know, good enough to continue. But this is what they do. I've just got to go with it. It's not an individual sport, it's a team sport. And whatever the team needs is what I want to do to help us win."
Gorzelanny's reaction was about what his manager figured it would be.
"We didn't expect him to be happy about it, and he wasn't," Piniella said. "But at the same time we impressed on him that he could be very helpful to us. (Sean) Marshall's a perfect example of that.
"We'll probably pitch him long initially just to get him acclimated. But truthfully, he can help us in about any role there except the closer's role."
Randy Wells, who was knocked from his last start Friday during a 5-run first inning by the Cardinals, gets another start today against the Pirates. He will be followed in the rotation by Ted Lilly and Zambrano. Carlos Silva, Ryan Dempster and Wells will pitch in Houston next weekend.
Cashner to debut this week: Asked if the Cubs planned to make a roster move to balance out the bullpen with Carlos Zambrano returning to the rotation, Lou Piniella said Andrew Cashner, the organization's top draft pick in 2008, would join the team before the Pittsburgh series.
However, general manager Jim Hendry later sent word through the Cubs' media relations department that Cashner would likely join the Cubs at some point during the Pittsburgh series, not necessarily today.
The right-handed rookie would bring balance to the bullpen as far as matchups. With the left-handed Gorzelanny joining the bullpen in place of the right-handed Zambrano, the Cubs would be carrying four lefty relievers and only two right-handers, not including closer Carlos Marmol. A corresponding move to clear a roster spot will follow.
Cashner has enjoyed success in the minors this season. He began the year at Class AA Tennessee, where he went 3-1 with a 2.75 ERA in 6 starts. In 5 appearances with Class AAA Iowa in May, the 23-year-old went 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA in 21 innings with 17 strikeouts and 2 walks. Cashner's last 2 appearances at Iowa were in relief. Piniella did not specify Cashner's immediate bullpen role.
"Our history, or my history here, is to get a young man acclimated, get him a little comfortable, get the nerves out a little bit and then find the role," Piniella said. "I think that's probably what we will do when Cashner comes up."