Big Z implodes as Sox explode for 6-0 win over Cubs

If meteorologists can post watches and warnings hours before any storms even appear on the radar, why don't the Cubs and Major League Baseball do the same when Carlos Zambrano takes the mound?

Seriously.

The fact that Big Z is starting is 'watch' worthy in itself.

Add in a warm afternoon, a heated atmosphere against a crosstown rival - the red-hot White Sox - and Friday afternoon's clash at the Cell had 'warning' written all over it well before it began.

And Zambrano didn't disappoint.

Or, depending how you look at it, he disappointed again. Either way, he wasn't around to watch the end of the game, a 6-0 White Sox victory.

Big Z exploded in the dugout following a 4-run first by the Sox that began with Juan Pierre's chopper down the line past Derrek Lee for a leadoff double and ended with Lee and Zambrano going face to face in the dugout and manager Lou Piniella deciding enough was enough and abruptly declaring Z's day over after just 21 pitches.

After the White Sox won their 10th straight game, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry all but sounded like a guy who wouldn't be too upset if Big Z's days with the Cubs were over as well after suspending the big righty indefinitely.

That's right, indefinitely.

"It becomes a bit of a tired act," Hendry said. "We'll play with 24 guys (on the roster) before we tolerate that kind of behavior."

Hendry wasn't the only one seething.

"The Zambrano thing is something that doesn't work and we're not going to tolerate it," Piniella said. "There's no need for this - none at all."

The postgame blues capped off an all-around bad day, bad week (1-4 in last 5 games) and bad season for that matter for the Cubs, who are 32-41 and falling fast.

"When it starts going south, it starts snowballing on you," Hendry said. "This game is very contagious one way or the other. We're certainly going through the bad part of contagious."

It's the polar opposite for the Sox, of course, who now have won 14 of their last 15. The only dugout controversy for the South Siders (38-34) on Friday was when to give in and end the silent treatment for Gordon Beckham following his first home run since April 11.

Otherwise it was smooth sailing for the Sox ... again.

And they used a familiar formula of late - fantastic starting pitching and some timely power hitting - to roll past the reeling Cubs in front of 39,364 on a chamber of commerce afternoon.

Jake Peavy (7-5) picked up the win after tossing seven innings of shutout ball - he now has thrown 21 consecutive scoreless innings - and Carlos Quentin deposited an 0-2 Zambrano delivery into the left-field stands for his third homer in his last three games, all but ending the suspense after just one inning.

"We're just hitting on all cylinders," Peavy said. "The starting pitching, I think, is where everything starts. Not to take anything away from anything we've done over the past 10 days or the past 2 to 3 weeks, offensively or defensively.

"If you don't pitch you don't win."

While Sox starters have been on a roll lately, Zambrano looked like he was regaining his form following seven innings of 1-run ball against the Angels in his last outing.

But then something else took over on Friday.

"In a game like this, it's very easy if things don't go well on the field or off the field, you can let your emotions get the best of you," Peavy said. "I certainly haven't done it all the time but today I was able to do it for the most part. Obviously I know Carlos had a rough day and had some stuff happen."

It was some "stuff" Sox manager Ozzie Guillen enjoyed seeing.

"I kind of like it," Guillen said. "Boxing is going so bad, if Don King sees that he will put that in Vegas. Those are two big boys."

He kids of course.

"That always happens when teams aren't playing well, stuff, the intensity of the game," Guillen said. "That can happen a lot. Coming out here and playing in this type of game with the fans out there, all the media around, that's part of the game. It's not the first time it happened, and I think it won't be the last time it happens."

But then Guillen, who said he would have no problem managing a player like Zambrano, made a prediction that may not be in either the short-term or long-term forecast.

"I know in a couple of days it will be fine," he said. "Carlos will be out there, and Derrek will be behind him and whatever happened there."

Cubbie occurrences at the CellWhen the Cubs play at U.S. Cellular Field, strange things happen, including Friday's incident with Carlos Zambrano, which manager Lou Piniella called "embarrassing" and led to Zambran's suspension.May 20, 2006: Cubs catcher Michael Barrett lands a right cross to A.J. Pierzynski's cheek after Pierzynski had crashed into Barrett on a play at the plate. Pierzynski smacked his hand onto the plate, then brushed a shoulder into Barrett that prompted Barrett's punch. The Sox won the game 7-0.June 26, 2009: Cubs right fielder Milton Bradley, upset after he flies out in the sixth inning, tosses his helmet down and tosses a Gatorade jug in the dugout. Manager Lou Piniella confronts Bradley and tells him to take his uniform off and "go home." They exchanged more words after that. Cubs rallied for a 5-4 win.June 26, 2010: Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano, after giving up four runs in the first, has to be separated from teammate Derrek Lee in the dugout. Zambrano screamed at Lee, and coaches stepped in and ushered Zambrano into the locker room. He was sent home and replaced in the second, and later suspended. Sox win 6-0.False393512Chicago Cubs' Carlos Zambrano reacts to giving up a run against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning Friday.Associated PressFalse <p class="factboxheadblack">Mike Spellman's game tracker</p><p class="News">White Sox 6, Cubs 0</p><p class="News"><b>Bicentennial celebration:</b> The White Sox' 10-game winning streak is their longest since 1976.</p><p class="News"><b>Loving interleague:</b> The Sox have won 10 straight interleague games and are 14-2 this season against the National League. They are 30-8 in their last 38 games.</p><p class="News"><b>Power numbers:</b> Carlos Quentin is hitting .419 with 4 doubles, 4 homers and 13 RBI in his last nine games.</p><p class="News"><b>Power pitching:</b> Jake Peavy is 3-0 with an 0.90 ERA and 24 strikeouts in his last 3 starts.</p><p class="News"><b>Get shorty:</b> Carlos Zambrano's 1 inning of work was the shortest start of his career.</p><div class="infoBox"><h1>More Coverage</h1><div class="infoBoxContent"><div class="infoArea"><h2>Stories</h2><ul class="links"><li><a href="/story/?id=390363"><b>ROZNER:</b> Piniella safe, Zambrano not so much <span class="date"> [6/25/10]</span></a></li><li><a href="/story/?id=390353">Hendry, Piniella act swiftly in suspending Zambrano <span class="date"> [6/25/10]</span></a></li><li><a href="/story/?id=390360">Hendry not ready to 'sell'; says Cubs not out of races<span class="date"> [6/25/10]</span></a></li><li><a href="/story/?id=390352">Red-hot Sox show no signs of cooling off against Cubs<span class="date"> [6/25/10]</span></a></li><li><a href="/story/?id=390355">Peavy's scoreless streak climbs to 21 inningss<span class="date"> [6/25/10]</span></a></li></ul></div></div></div>