Big W for Big Z, Cubs
ST. LOUIS -- Things didn't go exactly to plan for manager Lou Piniella and the Cubs on Friday night.
But then again, that's how it's been most of the year.
Before the Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3, Piniella drew up a plan of starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano going 7 innings, Bob Howry going 1 and Ryan Dempster finishing.
Zambrano did more than his part, pitching 8 innings of 4-hit, 1-run ball. But Dempster hit a speed bump in the ninth and needed help from Howry, who gave up 2 singles of his own before retiring Aaron Miles on a bases-loaded groundout to end the game.
Piniella was the picture of relaxation after the game as he greeted reporters with his feet up on his desk.
"Very exciting," he said. "My mouth was getting nice and dry."
Piniella took care of that problem with a postgame brew, one he probably needed. The end result was the Cubs improved to 76-71 and increased their first-place lead in the National League Central to 1½ games over Milwaukee while knocking the Cards 6 back.
Zambrano set the tone the Cubs were looking for when they held him back one day for this game. He would have gone out for the ninth inning, but the Cubs had the bases loaded, two outs and Zambrano's spot in the order coming up in the top of the ninth.
Enter Daryle Ward. He stroked a 3-run double off the center-field wall to give the Cubs some very important insurance runs, enabling Zambrano to run his record to 16-12.
"I've been feeling good since July," said Zambrano, who has won two in a row after a prolonged slump. "I had some bad games, but I was feeling good in those bad games. I was getting a little bit of bad luck, too. But that's in the game.
"Lou asked me if I could go 9. I said yes. I was ready for 9 innings."
Zambrano could do that because he cut down on his pitch count after totaling 35 over his first 2 innings. He recorded 13 outs on the ground and had single-digit pitch counts in three different innings.
Mark DeRosa's RBI single in the fourth gave Zambrano a 1-0 lead. Albert Pujols' homer tied it in the sixth, but Cliff Floyd answered in the seventh by leading off with his third homer in three games. It came off Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright.
"The guys were telling me to get on base," Floyd said. "So the first pitch he threw, I tried to lean my shoulder in a little bit to get hit. Then he threw a changeup, and I felt comfortable taking that pitch. I said he's not a repeat type of guy and he's not going to throw a changeup again. I was looking fastball, and I was able to put a good swing on it."
Ward's double in the ninth came off Jason Isringhausen. It came after rookie Felix Pie, a defensive replacement, doubled with one out. One out later, Jacque Jones was intentionally walked, and Jason Kendall drew a base on balls.
"Isringhausen is really good," Ward said. "He usually throws cutters. I was surprised he threw me a sinker that was out over the middle of the plate. As a hitter, you've got to go up there aggressive and ready to swing."
Dempster, who has had trouble in non-save situations, gave up a one-out homer to Jim Edmonds and a two-out blast to Ryan Ludwick before Piniella brought in Howry.
"He just didn't have his good command," Piniella said of Dempster. "Plus, it was a non-save situation. These guys, they lose a little adrenaline. Although, at this time of year, the adrenaline really shouldn't be a problem. But it does happen. Thank God we had a cushion."
Cubs 5, Cardinals 3
At the plate: Cliff Floyd homered in the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie. Daryle Ward hit a 3-run, pinch-hit double in the ninth to provide much-needed insurance. The Cubs had 4 of their 7 hits with two outs. The Cubs are 9-4 against the Cardinals this year, assuring themselves of the season series.
On the mound: Carlos Zambrano equaled his career best by winning his 16th game. He worked 8 innings, giving up 4 hits and 1 run. Ryan Dempster couldn't get out of the ninth inning, and Bob Howry earned his eighth save by bailing out Dempster.
-- Bruce Miles