Zambrano NOT to the Rescue

The Cubs followed up their thrilling victory Monday night with a game Tuesday night in a matchup between the Cubs arguably best pitcher against the Reds' best pitcher, Aaron Harang. They knew they still had a whisker-thin one game lead, and were tied in the loss column, so they had to get a win, especially with the Brewers facing a rookie starter.

As they say, Momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher.

Unfortunately, the Cubs were losing before they got a chance to bat. Zambrano, pitching for the first time at Wrigley since he bitched about Cubs fans who booed him, gave up a single to the first batter, hit the next, and eventually gave up two runs in the first inning.

The rest of the game was spent waiting to see if Zambrano would self-immolate and get booed, and it looked like the rest of the team was fighting to keep Zambrano in the game, or at least not be taken out mid-inning to boos, and thus keep the focus on the pennant race, and not one guy. They did not seem to be ready to come from behind again, whcih is why a good start by Zambrano was so critical.

Don't get me wrong, I love Zambrano (really), but you can now tell how he will do by the first inning, if not the first batter. He needs some focus, badly, and it seems he gets it when he's on the road.

Sure, you can say the Cubs lost to a good, if not great pithcer, and they can win the series by winning tonight behind Ted Lilly. They question is, if the Cubs do make the playoffs, should Big Z be your Game One starter?

Still, it's only one game, right? Let's see how he does Sunday against Pittsburgh...