Zambrano Takes Care of Business

What was supposed to be a showcase of the projected odd numbered starters for the 2009 Cubs (1. Carlos Zambrano, 3. Rich Harden, 5. Jeff Samardzija) turned into an odd mix of an encouraging win, an embarrassing loss, and an early exit . . . but not necessarily in that order. Carlos Zambrano was expected to get some bullpen work in Wednesday night's game between the Iowa Cubs and the Oklahoma City Red Hawks but left the scene after an early workout to, as HOFICMACSH* Ryne Sandberg put it, "take care of some business." I hope Bobby Scales didn't talk him into selling Amway.

Samardzija picked up his seventh Iowa win of the season after going five innings and allowing one earned run. He earned the W against his old (so old that right now he's looking like he should join Lou in retirement) teammate Harden, who delivered a familiar 5 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 9 SO performance as he continues to rehab from a strained left butt cheek.

No reason to panic as Zambrano is scheduled to take the hill in relief on Thursday. Unless, you know, Zambrano pitching makes you panic. Or if the business he was taking care of was, in fact, dinner, in which case the National Guard needs to act pronto.


*Hall Of Fame Iowa Cubs Manager And Cubbie Skipper Hopeful

Is It Time for Curt?

Ted Lilly's hurt. Could be awhile before he's able to start again. And Curt Schilling's not doing anything.

It's been a long time since I said I wouldn't mind seeing the guy who redefined Red Sox try to break some curses on the North Side. And I'm thinking it might be time to revisit the idea.

Adding Curt Schilling would give the Cubs a lot of versatility as to how they use their starters, especially as Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly work their way back to their normally rugged and dependable selves. It would allow Sean Marshall to stick with his role as the stellar situational lefty. Curt could pitch those extra days here and there when Rich Harden tries to avoid the daylight. And financially, the move could make sense, too.

As Bob Brenly probably remembers all too well, Curt Schilling was willing to take a back-loaded contract with the Diamondbacks when they were hurting financially. Would he do the same with the Cubbies for a shot at winning the most elusive championship in American sports?

Oh yeah. Would it work? A boy can dream.

UPDATE: WITH LILLY HURT, IT IS TIME FOR CURT.

Ted Lilly is now on the DL with an inflamed shoulder and, in a case of surgical schizophrenia, is slated for arthroscopic knee surgery. He's likely to miss 4-5 starts (Cub-anese for three months). I hope Kevin Hart has a dynamite start today, but the Cubs need some help. Somebody get Schilling on the phone and get the turkey dinner ready. It's time to bloody up some socks, people.

Hard(en) Day's Night OR Rich Harden: After Dark

As he did with Ronny Cedeno a year ago, Lou Piniella is going to try to schedule Rich Harden's appearances according to statistically advantageous scenarios. Rich is dynamite at night. At Wrigley day games, he's a dud.

This could suit more than just Harden's nocturnal tendencies. We could be seeing Harden pitch routinely on five or six days' rest. That's great for him and his oft-injured frame, but it seems like it could wreak havoc on the rest of the Cubs starters.

I guess I view this move the same way I received the idea of turning the Peach Pit into a night club: with hopeful skepticism.

Cubs Stat of the Week: Rich Harden is K-licious

As we're waiting for Harden to take the mound against the Indians, I thought you might be interested in a little Rich Harden trivia. So let's talk about Rich, the king of the K.

It would be nice to see Rich Harden stay healthy. It would be nice to see Rich Harden pitching in 8th or 9th inning of a game. It would be nice to see Rich Harden throw a 10-pitch inning. But given the stat of the week, you can understand why none of those things seem to happen very often.

As a Cub, Rich Harden averages 11.26 strikeouts per 9 innings.

If you're wondering, he leads NL starters with at least 20 starts in that stretch. Also, if you're wondering, in what amounts to almost a full season in Cubbie blue Harden has started just 21 games, averaging about 5 2/3 innings a start.

If only he were a bit more hittable, maybe Harden could go deeper into games. Chicks dig the strikeout, but I'm pretty sure Lou prefers healthy starters who last into the 7th.

Starter 5 Watch: Aaron Heilman

Wait, wait, wait! Sean Marshall throws three perfect innings and loses his spot atop the Starter 5 Watch? What gives?!?

Simple. Until Rich Harden throws a spring training pitch, Sean Marshall is officially the 4th starter in my book, while Harden is relegated to the DL Watch. No, I'm not placing too much stress on spring training action. I'm just drawing the simple philosophical conclusion that if you're not pitching, you're not a pitcher. When Rich Harden returns to the mound without consolation or apology to the media from Lou Piniella, that's when I'll assume he's fine. But the biggest sign of a pitcher with no arm troubles is the actual throwing of pitches.

But based on what I've seen from Heilman and Marshall (you know, the guys who actually pitch for a living), I'm not too worried about the rotation.