Nothing wrong with Zambrano, Rothschild says

MIAMI - The subject of pitcher Carlos Zambrano's "arm slot" came up Friday night, and whenever that happens, it seems to send off alarms that something is physically wrong with the Cubs' nominal ace.

Pitching coach Larry Rothschild said Saturday that if Zambrano's arm slot is dropping, it's because he's rushing himself on the mound.

"I think a few times, he's been rushing a little too quick from the stretch and not been able to get his arm up to where it belongs," Rothschild said.

According to Rothschild, what hurt Zambrano most in Friday's erratic start were walks to pitcher Josh Johnson and No. 1 hitter Hanley Ramirez in front of a 3-run homer by Jorge Cantu in Florida's 4-run third inning.

"That changes the whole situation," the coach said. "He made a real good pitch on Ramirez 3-2 (that was called a ball). Little things can change how a game's perceived in the end, but I thought he had good velocity last night and good movement. His command was clearly off. That's where we've got to get back to - back to the strike zone and quality strikes.

"There's nothing wrong with him. He feels good. Even when he's pitched well, he's probably thrown as many balls from that lower slot. It's just that everybody looks at that when things aren't going right."

The Marquis plan: Manager Lou Piniella said he's looking out for pitcher Jason Marquis' best interests when he gives him extra time between starts. Marquis started Wednesday in Atlanta, but he won't pitch again until Friday.

"What we've been trying to do with Jason, knowing the fact that the last few years he's struggled in August and September, we're spacing him out a little more," Piniella said. "I hope he appreciates it, because that's what we're trying to do to get him to finish nice and strong. I think it's having a positive effect, as opposed to just pitching him every five days."

Milestone maker: Mark DeRosa set his single-season high for homers Friday night with his 14th. He's closing in on his single-season mark for RBI, 74, set in 2006 with Texas.

"I don't have a reason why," he said of the power stats. "I'm not thinking about it. I'm just happy to be driving some runs in. I've been batting 6-7 all year, but I've found myself coming through with a lot of men on base."