Cubs’ run of good starting pitching ends in loss
In the first two games back from the all-star break, the Cubs received 15 scoreless innings from starting pitchers Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster.
Maybe it wasn’t much to build on, since the bullpen squandered one of those games. But the streak didn’t last long when Carlos Zambrano returned from the disabled list and took the mound on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field.
Zambrano walked 2 of the first 3 batters and trailed 3-0 by the time he’d faced 5 hitters. The Cubs carried on with more of the same for a lackluster 13-3 defeat.
Manager Mike Quade is hoping this one can be written off as a rusty performance and the Cubs starters will go back to producing positive vibes on Sunday when Randy Wells gets a turn.
“It’s funny, (Zambrano’s) velocity was probably as good as I’ve seen it early on. Maybe too good,” Quade said. “He was throwing hard and probably didn’t have quite the life and location he’s had when he’s been on this nice run. He’ll be better next time.”
A relaxed Zambrano used fewer words and one fuzzy movie reference to summarize his performance.
“Arm, body — good. Intelligence — no good,” he said. “I feel like RoboCop today, when he got shot and then he tried to hit his target. That is how I feel today. For some reason, the ball was running. Everything else was good. Velocity. Split finger, slider was good.”
Bad as it was, Zambrano took some comfort in the fact that he felt completely healthy. His most recent major league start lasted just 1 inning on June 30 against San Francisco. He left that game with a sore back and went on the disabled list the following day. He made one rehab start at Class A Peoria on July 8 and worked 4 innings.
After the 3-run first inning, Zambrano settled down for a while, but gave up an opposite-field home run to Mike Stanton in the fourth. An inning later, Stanton added a 3-run shot to give the Marlins an 8-0 lead and Zambrano was done after 4 2/3 innings and 94 pitches.
“I wanted to get him to 100 pitches. I wanted him to get through at least 5 innings,” Quade said. “Part of this deal is building him up and getting him going again. Plus, I didn’t want to kill my bullpen here just getting started in the second half.
“He was up some. He’s down with good life when he’s right. When you’re throwing as hard as he was early, you worry about the sink and some of the things he needs movement-wise. To me, his soft game has been really good the last 20-some starts going into last year.
Florida starter Javier Vazquez has pitched well lately and dominated the Cubs for five innings. The only baserunner during that time came on a one-out single by Marlon Byrd in the second.
Finally, with two outs in the sixth, the Cubs cut into their 11-0 deficit. Kosuke Fukudome reached on a bloop single that landed inches in front of center fielder Bryan Peterson. Following a swinging-bunt single by Starlin Castro, Aramis Ramirez drilled the first pitch he saw into the left field bleachers for a 3-run homer, his 16th of the season. Ramirez has 11 home runs in his last 21 games.
By the end of the day, though, this matched the Cubs’ worst loss of the season. They’ve been 10-runned four times, most recently in a 10-0 thumping by Pittsburgh on May 28.
At least the Pirates are a first-place team. Florida has a better record than the Cubs, but sits last in the NL East.
“To be in position to win a game in the ninth like we were the first night, when (Carlos Marmol) struggled — those kill me, because the whole club, you fight to get in position,” Quade said. “If someone struggles out of the gate, it’s no fun. But I think the ones where you’re in position to win late in the game that kill you.”