Zambrano, Cubs quick to avoid controversy

It was quick. It was clean. Now we’ll see if it takes.

The Cubs apparently felt Sunday’s teapot tempest in St. Louis involving Carlos Zambrano wasn’t big enough to issue news releases, hold news conferences or fly any management types into Cincinnati, where the Cubs moved Monday.

And “moving on” is what everybody seemed to do, from Zambrano to aggrieved party Carlos Marmol to manager Mike Quade.

This is a good thing, especially for a club that has had to open its own Zambrano Crisis Management Center during the past few years in addition to managing other risks, including Milton Bradley.

From all reports out of Cincinnati, things have been sorted out. Zambrano apologized to Marmol. Marmol accepted. Quade did not fine Zambrano, as he talked about letting grown men handle the situation like, well, grown men.

The last thing the Cubs needed amid a losing streak was another controversy, so credit to Quade and the organization for putting this to bed quickly.

You know the details by now. Marmol blew a save Sunday to cost Zambrano a possible victory, the second time that happened in the last 2 Zambrano starts. The Cubs went on to lose the game 3-2 to the Cardinals as Albert Pujols hit a walk-off homer (his second in two days) off Rodrigo Lopez.

The Cubs’ and Marmol’s crime, according to Zambrano, was throwing a slider to Ryan Theriot in the ninth, as Theriot hit a game-tying double.

Zambrano said the Cubs should have known better. He added the Cubs’ situation was an “embarrassment” and that the team plays like a Triple-A team.

Reports out of Cincinnati said Marmol and Zambrano chatted on the field during Monday’s early work.

“What’s the big deal about this?” Zambrano said to reporters. “I said what I said yesterday because I was frustrated. At the same time, we’re a team. We’re grown men, and I know when I make a mistake. I came to Marmol today before anybody talked to me, and I talked to him and apologized to him about the comment I said.

“Like I said yesterday, we all need to get better. That’s my point. A moment of frustration yesterday made me say what I said.”

That seemed good with Marmol.

“It’s over,” he said. “You’ve got to move on. It doesn’t bother me. He apologized to me and we’re friends, and that’s not going to change things. It’s in the past.”

Quade called Zambrano into his office but said there was no need for Zambrano to apologize to the team.

“They took care of that and that’s that, we move on,” Quade told the media. “Good for them. That’s what grown-ups do, and they did a good job.

“I was surprised at (Zambrano’s comments), because Marm has been a valuable part of this. It just shows how frustrated Z was, and the level of frustration is pretty high around here.”

Zambrano’s only sin was criticizing a teammate and his pitch selection. As for the rest of it, Zambrano was right in his assessment, and maybe it was high time somebody said it.

I cringe a little at “Triple-A.” I’ve likened this bunch to a first-year expansion team rather than a Triple-A team. You’ve got rookies and inexperienced players and a handful of veterans past their primes.

Most of the fan reaction Sunday night and Monday seemed solidly behind Zambrano. There was talk in the media of suspending Zambrano and trading him, although he has a no-trade clause in his contract.

“I don’t want to think about that,” he said. “I’m a Cubbie, and I want to be a Cubbie for the rest of my life. I’m going to focus on this team and I don’t want to focus on being traded. I’m not thinking about that. I’m thinking about helping this team.”

As far as Cubs crises go, this one ended as well as could be expected.

bmiles@dailyherald.com