Zambrano pitches in, but not enough to win
The Cubs received another quality start in Houston on Wednesday night.
But to win this game, pitcher Carlos Zambrano needed to either toss another no-hitter at the Astros or blast a home run.
Zambrano allowed just 3 hits and 1 run in 8 innings but left the mound with the score tied at 1-1. The Astros produced the game-winning rally against reliever Angel Guzman and pulled out a 2-1 victory on Geoff Blum's one-out RBI single.
"The sooner (Zambrano) leaves, the better we're going to be," Blum said.
Miguel Tejada started the ninth with a single before Hunter Pence walked. Tejada took third on Carlos Lee's flyout to center.
After an intentional walk to Lance Berkman loaded the bases, the former White Sox World Series hero dumped Guzman's 1-2 pitch into center field for the game-winning single.
Zambrano, who threw 104 pitches, allowed leadoff singles in each of the first two innings, then retired 14 in a row until Michael Bourn walked with two out in the sixth.
A leadoff walk in the seventh inning to Pence proved costly. He took third on Lee's single and scored two batters later on a Blum groundout to second.
"I did my job," said Zambrano, who has allowed 2 earned runs in 21 innings over his last 3 starts. "There's nothing else I could do."
Besides a solo home run by catcher Geovany Soto in the second inning, the Cubs (29-27) didn't have much luck against Houston left-hander Wandy Rodriguez and reliever Chris Sampson, stranding seven runners. They put two men on in the eighth before Kosuke Fukudome struck out to end the inning.
The Cubs have scored 3 runs or fewer in seven of their last 11 games.
"When we start hitting consistently, we'll start winning consistently," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "When you can hold a team on the road to 2 runs, you've got to feel pretty good about your chances."
Before the game, Aaron Miles was activated from the disabled list after recovering from a shoulder strain; he started at second base.
Jake Fox was sent back to Class AAA Iowa, though Piniella suggested Fox should return in a few weeks when the Cubs play the White Sox and Detroit on the road, giving him a chance to join the lineup as the designated hitter.
On the second day of the major-league draft, the Cubs selected a couple of local prospects. They chose catcher Daniel Sheppard from Downers Grove North in the second round and DeLaSalle right-hander Gerardo Esquivel in the 24th round.
Mike McGraw's game tracker
A-game from 'Z': The Cubs wasted an excellent pitching performance from Carlos Zambrano, who allowed 1 run and 3 hits in 8 innings.
Again, no offense: The only meaningful hit the Cubs managed against Houston lefty Wandy Rodriguez was a solo home run by Geovany Soto in the second inning.
Late-game failure: The Astros scored the winning run off Angel Guzman in the ninth when Miguel Tejada led off with a single and eventually scored on Geoff Blum's one-out single.
Minor changes: The Cubs brought back infielder Aaron Miles, sending Jake Fox back to Triple-A Iowa. Miles went 1-for-4 on Thursday to raise his average to .206.