With the Cubs beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1, Nyjer Morgan was trying to score when Zambrano placed a tag on him. The replays show that Morgan might have been out but the ump called him safe. Then Zambrano exploded. He bumped the ump, which got him ejected. Then he tried to toss the umpire and threw the baseball into the outfield. Zambrano finished off his rampage by beating up the Gatorade machine with a baseball bat.

Morgan’s run tied the game at two. But the Cubs then scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth and held on for a 5-2 victory.

Before getting tossed, Zambrano had given up one earned run in 6.1 innings.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

At first, things looked fine for Chicago. They got up 2-0 by scoring two in the bottom of the second inning. But then James Looney of the Dodgers hit a grand slam in the top of the fifth inning to put Los Angeles up for good.

Not surprisingly, Manny Ramirez shined for the Dodgers. He was 2-4 with a walk, two runs, an RBI and a homer run. Derek Lowe pitched a fine six innings, giving up two earned runs while striking out six.

For the Cubs, things weren’t as rosy. Ryan Dempster struggled through 4.2 innings that saw him walk seven batters and give up four earned runs. Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto combined to go 0-12.

Chicago still has a chance to put the curse to bed but Game 2 has now turned out to be a must win game. Taking the hill for the Cubs will be ace Carlos Zambrano and he will take on Chad Billingsley of the Dodgers.

Game 2 will be Thursday at 9:30 PM CST.

Manny Ramirez and Joe Torre have to like the Dodgers’ Game 1 success.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

In a game won by the Cubs 5-0, Zambrano allowed only two base runners — he walked Michael Bourn and hit Hunter Pence.

The last time Zambrano pitched was on September 2nd when left a start with an apparent arm injury. While at first worried, the medical reports came back positive and he was able to return to the mound in less than two weeks.

Here is a Carlos Zambrano video about his no-hitter featuring an interview with Milt Pappas, the last Cubs pitcher to throw a no-hitter:

Post from: Knuckle Curve

In the trade, the Cubs got Harden and pitcher Chad Gaudin. In return, the Cubs sent Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Eric Patterson and Josh Donaldson to Oakland.

Harden has been a very good pitcher during his career. However, his major drawback is health. Harden being healthy has been a rare occurrence in recent years, having not started 20 games in a season since 2004.

This season, Harden has a 2.34 ERA and has 92 strikeouts in 77 innings. He went 5-1 for the A’s before the trade.

In Chicago, Harden will team with Carlos Zambrano to form a nice duo at the top of the rotation. Zambrano had an injury scare earlier in the season but he’s healthy once again.

Carlos Zambrano will get an ace sidekick in Rich Harden.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Zambrano felt discomfort in his shoulder before leaving his last start. The MRI didn’t reveal any major damage, so Zambrano has gotten the green light to resume pitching. Although it hasn’t been announced when Zambrano will pitch next, it should be in the next week.

On the season, Big Z is 8-2 with a 3.13 ERA.

Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Sabathia struggled mightily to begin his 2008 campaign but has bounced back nicely. After posting a 7.76 ERA in April, Sabathia had a 2.44 ERA in May and so far in June has a 2.74 ERA. Sabathia, who won the Cy Young Award last year in the AL, seems to be back on top of his game.

If the Sabathia trade rumors heat up, which teams are the likely destinations? Let’s take a look:

Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox have lost Curt Schilling for the season and recently had to put Bartolo Colon on the DL. The Red Sox have the money to pay Sabathia and could view the hefty left as a key cog to their attempt to repeat as World Series champions.

New York Yankees
Like the Red Sox, the Yankees and their limitless payroll will definitely be in the running. New York entered the season banking on a few young arms to come through, however that hasn’t happened. Now with Chien-Ming Wang injured and out until September, their need for a star pitcher is great.

Chicago Cubs
The Cubs are looking to finally end their historical championship slump and 2008 looks like its their best shot in a long while. However, with Carlos Zambrano injured, their chances will go down the drain quickly if he can’t bounce back. That’s where Sabathia could come into play.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Sabathia grew up in California so perhaps he’d be interested in being traded to the Dodgers. And Los Angeles, with Brad Penny and Hiroki Kuroda both going on the DL, could definitely use Sabathia on its pitching staff.

Will CC Sabathia be traded?

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

The Cubs cannot afford for anything major to be wrong with Zambrano’s shoulder. The Cubs have a very good shot at making the postseason as it stands, however losing Zambrano would be a crushing blow to those chances. The good news is that after the game Zambrano was hopeful nothing major would be wrong with his shoulder.

On the season, Zambrano has a 3.13 ERA to go with a record of 8-2. The 27-year-old Venezuelan has won at least 13 games in five straight seasons. His ERA of 3.13 is his best mark since having a 2.75 ERA in 2004.

It wasn’t immediately known who would take Zambrano’s spot in the rotation if he were to miss his next start.

Carlos Zambrano will have an MRI on his shoulder.

Post from: Knuckle Curve