Upon being lifted after the first inning today against the White Sox, Baby Z had an altercation with 1B Derrick Lee (he let up 4 runs in the 1st). His latest explosion came after he felt Lee and 3B Aramis Ramirez didn't dive for balls he thought they should have. Well Carlos, maybe if the balls weren't smoked down the line, they'd have had a chance to react.
I mean things are bad in Cub-land. Lee, a career .282 hitter, is batting a paltry .233 this year with 10 HR and 33 RBI. Ramirez is struggling as well. He returned to the lineup for the first time since June 7 at Pittsburgh (left thumb contusion). He's also a career .282 hitter but is hitting .165 with 5 HR and 22 RBI this year. They're 9 games under .500 and 4-6 over their past 10. They have a manageable 3.91 ERA as a staff but are only hitting .257. That formula won't amount to a good season for Cub fans.
With two big guns in the lineup along with an always excitable Big Z having poor seasons, Lou Piniella doesn't have much going right on the North Side. I am going to say it ain't his fault, I like Lou. My guess is old Carlos there doesn't. But I'm sure the feeling is mutual - Piniella can get a 5.10 ERA and 4.5 BB/9 IP from any shlep in their system.
Zambrano is a baby, plain and simple. He's a hot-head who has all the ability in the world, but carries the weight of the world on his shoulders (and he probably can, he's 6'5" 260 lbs.)
The Cubs are 8.5 GB of the Cardinals. They'll run out Carlos Silva (8-2, 3.01) tomorrow against "The Rock" Freddy Garcia (8-3, 4.85). Should be a dandy on the South Side.
In the meantime, Carlos, stay home and take a hard look in the mirror, if you haven't thrown it out the window already. You'll always be a lightning rod. Grow up.
