Here’s hoping the show that Carlos Zambrano put on Thursday in the Cubs’ 9-3 win in the series finale against the Mets doesn’t mark the last time we see him this weekend.
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The Most Interesting Baseball Player in the World (well, at least in Chicago) makes me want to buy a ticket. He is appointment television. He doesn’t have to be pitching.
Zambrano had three hits with an RBI and a run scored. He went 4-for-4 in the series, a much-welcomed series victory, to kick off the homestand.
Before Big Z delivered a solid six innings, allowing one earned run en route to his fifth win, he was perusing Mike Quade’s lineup. Zambrano put his finger on his name in the ninth spot, turned with a smile to WSCR-AM 670 reporter Matt Abbatacola, and pushed himself up two slots.
I think he sold himself short. If Quade would have hit him fifth, those who’ve been paying attention to the Cubs’ offense this year wouldn’t have lodged a complaint.
Alfonso Soriano excepted, the Cubs have been impotent in the muscles department. As soon as Quade wants to send a message to Aramis Ramirez, who has one home run, he’ll gain even more trust from the youngsters, whose development is what the 2011 season is all about anyway.
While you’re never really certain a guy as implosive as Zambrano won’t burst at any moment, he has sailed through the first two months of the season without tantrum or incident. Gatorade coolers have stopped cowering when he passes. For that, I give Quade a thumbs up. He’s the first Cubs boss to find the key that opens the door to a consistently Good Z.
Quade goofed, however, when he pinch hit Zambrano Tuesday night in the series opener. The Cubs had a seven-run lead. With the back end of the rotation decimated by injury, necessitating a steady diet of James Russell, Casey Coleman and now Doug Davis, the Cubs should be intent on protecting Zambrano, who’s as close to pitching like a No.1 since 2008.
The Cubs manager said Z was getting loose and wanted to take a whack at the mop-up section of the New York bullpen. That was a good chance for Quade to give Zambrano a man hug, then acknowledge in front of 24 other players and media, that Z’s desire and good behavior are more evidence the man is on a good path and exemplifies the same-end-of-the-rope approach the club sometimes lacks.
In an one-run game, if Zambrano is the best option off the bench, give him the bat. Right now, his .375 average and home run potential look a lot better than many of Quade’s options. But it was 8-1 when Z, sans sleeves, stepped out to belt a two-run single through the box to extend the lead.
The risk outweighed the reward. Not long ago, Zambrano’s $91.5 million dollar contract looked like an albatross of Sorianoan proportion, but the cat actually has upgraded his status to movable.
The Yankees could be a taker. And if Joe Girardi gave Zambrano a crack at a DH assignment and hit him last, Z would be most amenable, unlike the pouty Jorge Posada, who withdrew his services when dropped to ninth in a game against the Red Sox on May 15.
I don’t like everything Quade has done in his first year. When Starlin Castro was leading off, he and Rookie of the Year candidate Darwin Barney were setting the table quite nicely.
But Quade, hamstrung by the power outage in the middle, began hitting the shortstop third. A little slump dropped him to seventh. He hit third Thursday.
Pick a lane.
The Cubs have underwhelmed defensively and don’t run well. Quade and his staff need to start moving the needle in a positive direction with both.
Given the hand he’s been dealt, the Cubs skipper deserves a reasonable leash. He’s battled the misfortune of injuries to his pitching staff, catcher Geovany Soto, and a Jim Hendry-assembled roster best described as the Island of Misfit Toys.
That hasn’t stopped some loud belching of “Hendry should have hired Ryno” in Wrigleyville’s many nesting spots after bad Cubs performances.
Slow your roll. The biggest challenge Quade entertained entering the season, even though he downplayed it, was keeping Zambrano on track.
Has he? I’ll bet that Z got home early Thursday evening to study video of the Pittsburgh bullpen, against which he may get a shot this weekend.
Dan McNeil hosts “The Danny Mac Show” weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on WSCR-AM 670.
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