Carlos Zambrano is on His Way Back
The Chicago Cubs are struggling this season as they are well behind the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central. However, they are receiving some good news.
Hot-tempered ace Carlos Zambrano may return very soon to the line up.
Manager Lou Piniella said the right-hander has pitched a simulated game at the team’s training complex and is now heading to triple-A Iowa to play in the minors to warm-up to a return to the Cubs.
Zambrano will most likely rejoin the Cubs on their road trip at the end of the month.
The emotional ace was placed on the restricted list last month following an outburst towards his teammates in a game against the Chicago White Sox.
Besides his suspension and time on the restricted list, it is believed the pitcher has also undergone anger management therapy sessions with doctors picked by the MLB and Zambrano’s agent.
Cubs general manager (GM) Jim Hendry said he was most concerned about Zambrano over-extending himself upon his return.
"You want to make sure that you're sharp and you're ready when you get up here," Hendry said. "The health of the player is important. You don't rush it along, because when you get him up here he'll be over-amped a little bit. You have to prepare him for that."
Zambrano was sent to the bullpen earlier this season and he is expected to be placed there again following his return. This season, he is 3-6 with a 5.66 ERA.
Zambrano’s outburst last month came after allowing four runs in the first inning. Cameras showed him yelling at Derek Lee for failing to field a sharply hit ball that resulted in a double. Piniella decided not to put Zambrano back into the game.
Zambrano has struggled this season, as have the Chicago Cubs as a team in general. He has had some very good seasons in recent years. From 2003 to 2008, Zambrano won at least ten games in each season and helped the Cubs to playoff berths in 2003, 2007 and 2008.
In 2003, the Cubs came within a few outs of a trip to the World Series. Need we say more?
As the Cubs leader in the starting rotation, Zambrano led the Cubs to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2007 and 2008, winning the NL Central each of those years. The Cubs failed to win a single playoff game in each year though as they were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007 before bowing out to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008.
The pitching of Carlos Zambrano has meant everything to the Cubs’ success in recent years. Last year, when Zambrano didn’t reach ten wins, and his numbers and his ERA jumped from 3.77 in 2008 to 5.66 in 2009, Chicago once again missed the playoffs. It’s no secret that he was a major reason why the Cubs have won back-to-back division titles.
This season, the Cubs have not had a winning record all season, and the new era of the Ricketts ownership is not starting off well. Angered fans are calling for Piniella and GM Hendry to be fired and for the team to be rebuilt. However, a strong second half may change all of that.
The Cubs have had three winning seasons in a row and it will take a late season hot streak to salvage 2010. That may mean a resurgence from Carlos Zambrano, who must pick up his pitching and improve his attitude if the Cubs are to bounce back. Who knows if that can turn around the season of a franchise that has not won the World Series in over a century.
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