Lou Piniella certainly shook things up on Wednesday sending Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen instead of Carlos Silva or Tom Gorzelanny. After week long discussions between Cubs management, Lou Piniella, and pitching coach Larry Rothschild, they came to the decision that Zambrano has the type of mentality to be successful pitching out of the pen. Looking at the situation now it seems as though it came down to Silva and Zambrano, and that Gorzelanny was never a candidate because he has never pitched out of the bullpen before.
This appears to be a desperate move by a team looking for a quick fix. Immediately following the decision, Zambrano stated that he does not want to pitch out of the bullpen, but he will do whatever it takes to help the team win. That sounds good right now, but what will be going through Big Z’s head if he gets off to a bad start pitching out of the bullpen. Based on his past, does he seem like the type of guy that will handle this situation smoothly? Obviously he has great stuff and should be the type of pitcher that excels in a setup role. You just have to wonder if his heart is going to be in it after being the ace of the pitching staff since the exits of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.
The Cubs fell to the Mets yesterday 5-2, dropping to 6-10 on the season. It was another tough road series for the Cubs who lost three out four to the Mets and now own a 3-7 record when playing away from Wrigley Field. Now, the Cubs will go on the road again as they get ready for a three game set with the Milwaukee Brewers. After this series, the Cubs will get a nice home stand against Washington and Arizona so getting a game or two in Milwaukee would set them up well heading into next week.
April 25th, 2010 at 10:42 am
Zambrano going to the pen is going to be a disaster. Piniella is really grasping at straws. Agree – looks very desperate.