Zambrano Returning to Cubs Rotation: Down to His Last Strike?
The Cubs announced that their former ace, Carlos Zambrano would be returning to the pitching rotation. He’ll get his first start in months on Monday when the Cubs take on the San Francisco Giants.
Zambrano has missed more than a month of action due to a suspension following an altercation with teammate Derek Lee in June. It wasn’t the first time Zambrano had gone on a tirade against teammates. The organization had enough of his temper and enlisted him for anger management therapy.
Zambrano was likely more upset at himself in his burst of anger. He has not had a good season and has already been removed from the starting rotation. He was off to another bad start against the Chicago White Sox in the June 25th game and took his frustration out on his teammates.
Now that Cubs Manager Lou Piniella, teammates and the organization have given Zambrano another chance to prove himself as a pitcher and as a teammate, this may be Zambrano’s last chance to show he can help the Cubs. Many changes are brewing for the Cubs as they have struggled for the last year and a half. With Piniella retiring at the end of the season, we may see a dawn of a new era in Chi-town and the rest of the season will be Zambrano’’s chance to prove he can be a part of that future.
In terms of his production, Zambrano has overall had a good career. He was a big reason why the Cubs won the NL Central in 2007 and 2008 and found ways to win early on. He won 91 games between 2003 and 2008 but last season his record dropped. He slumped to 9-7 last season and this season has started off even worse as he is 3-6 with a 5.71 ERA. As a result, he was moved to the bullpen earlier this season.
"I've been in this game for nine years," Zambrano said. "For seven years, I've been doing a good job and the last few years unfortunately I haven't. But it's not [too] late. It's not [too] late. We still have two months to go to try to finish over .500."
Zambrano’s full return to the starting rotation will get off to a gradual start as Piniella claimed he will hold Zambrano to 80 pitches in his start against the Giants.
"Sometimes you don't know what you have until you lose it," Zambrano said of starting again. "I don't want to lose this opportunity. I just want to take advantage [of it] be prepared and be ready for the last two months."
The Cubs already began a housecleaning this trade deadline when Ted Lilly was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, making room for a starter to fill the rotation.
This has to be seen as Zambrano’s last chance to prove he’s a part of the Cubs future. Whether he wants to be a Cub or not, he won’t be around long if he can’t regain his old form.
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