Down-slide: Rookie Marmol has rare failure

PHOENIX -- So many times this season, Carlos Marmol has been lights out for the Cubs.

But during the seventh inning in a pressure-packed setting in Game 1 of the NLDS on Wednesday night at Chase Field, the scrappy Diamondbacks turned the lights out on the Cubs' 25-year-old reliever.

Marmol entered a 1-1 game after manager Lou Piniella raised eyebrows by lifting starter Carlos Zambrano after 6 innings and only 85 pitches.

When Marmol's 1 inning of work was complete, the Cubs trailed 3-1.

Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds hit Marmol's fourth pitch deep to left-center field for a tiebreaking home run. It came on a fastball after Marmol missed with two sliders.

"I threw a fastball because I couldn't throw my breaking ball for a strike," Marmol said. "All year long I've been throwing that pitch for a strike, but today it didn't work. I don't know why. I didn't make a good pitch right there."

Reynolds said he was fortunate to get all of the Marmol fastball.

"Marmol's got a nasty slider," Reynolds said. "I laid off two of them then was lucky to get a pitch I could hit."

Cubs catcher Geovany Soto second-guessed himself after the game for calling for the fastball with a 2-1 count to Reynolds.

"I probably should have called for another slider," Soto said. "I called fastball and he agreed. The guy just hit it out.

"He couldn't get his slider over. I called for a 2-1 fastball. I thought he throws 95 or 96 (mph), so why not?"

After a strikeout following the home run by Reynolds, Marmol walked catcher Chris Snyder on a missed 3-2 slider, then let eighth-place hitter Augie Ojeda double into the right-field corner. Pinch hitter Conor Jackson hit a sacrifice fly, and the Diamondbacks had a 2-run lead for their bullpen to preserve.

Piniella expected Marmol to get the job done like he has over and over. Piniella said he removed Zambrano after 6 innings because of his plan to bring his ace back Sunday in Game 4 on three days' rest -- if there is a Game 4.

"Our bullpen has done a good job all year," Piniella said. "We turned it over to them."

Zambrano wanted to go another inning but couldn't talk Piniella into it.

"We have a good bullpen, so I let the bullpen do their job," Zambrano said. "Marmol has pitched good for us all year long. Today he gave it up, but tomorrow he will come back and do a good job."

Marmol fully expects to get the ball in the seventh inning today in Game 2 if he's needed.

"Sure, why not?" he said. "I've been pitching the seventh inning all year, why not tomorrow? One day you're not perfect. One day you're doing good and one day you give it up. This was the day I gave it up."