Big Z experiment canceled

The Cubs made no apologies for moving opening-day starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen even as they acknowledged the experiment didn't work as planned.

After Monday night's game, Cubs manager Lou Piniella said Zambrano's role would change and that he no longer would be the eighth-inning setup man.

On Tuesday, Piniella said the Cubs would begin stretching out Zambrano for an eventual return to the rotation. When Zambrano returns is still up in the air. The Cubs want him to make at least 2 extended relief appearances and get his pitch count up.

If there's any reason the controversial move to the pen wasn't a success, the Cubs cited the radar gun.

"Obviously, Z gave it a good shot," said general manager Jim Hendry. "I think we all thought that when somebody goes to the pen, they pick up juice, and you get the 1-inning, 'Let's go blow it by people.' We thought when we did it, he was the right candidate for it for a couple of reasons.

"One, we thought that would happen with him, and it would be good for him. It's not much (of a) secret that for the last year, year and a half, he's not throwing as hard as a starter as he used to."

The velocity on the fastball didn't pick up appreciably, and Zambrano didn't seem happy as a relief pitcher.

"It was a chance we needed to take," Piniella said. "We thought his velocity would increase, and it hasn't. I said this wasn't going to be permanent when we did it. I appreciate the fact that he went out there and gave it his best shot."

When Zambrano comes back, one of the five starters will have to go to the bullpen. Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells are set in the rotation. Carlos Silva has been good, leaving lefty Tom Gorzelanny as the possibility.

The Cubs made the Zambrano move when Lilly came off the disabled list last month.

"When we made the decision, Wellsie and Demp and Teddy really had pitched better than Z for the last year or so in the rotation," Hendry said. "Carlos (Silva) and Tom are not conducive to doing that type of role. When Teddy came back, it really wasn't, 'We're punishing Z,' or it's this big gamble. It was something we thought would help the club at the time and also help Z eventually.

"It wasn't punishment. We didn't do this lightly, like, 'We took Big Z out of the rotation and put him in the pen. What are we doing?' It was a lot of well-thought-out ... at the time, it was the right decision. It wouldn't have been the right thing to put the other guys in that spot."