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Zambrano sucks...really bad. I've been watching the Cubs game as I often do, to get a sick pleasure out of their suffering. Today's game has really filled my appetite. The once dominating Zambrano has been absolutely lit up through 5 innings, giving up 13 hits and 7 runs, while striking out 0 and walking 2. But the real fireworks happened in the Mid 5th inning when Z and Michael Barrett got into a heated shoving/shouting match in the dugout. In the top of the 5th, a frustrated Zambrano gave up 5 hits and 2 walks in a 5 run inning. With 1 out and men on 1st and 2nd, Z and Barrett got crossed up on a curveball allowing both runners to advance, Barrett attempted to get the lead runner at third and promptly threw the ball to Soriano in left. Apparently Big Z didn't take too kindly to Barrett's sudden Knoblauchitis and tried landing a few on Barrett's kisser between innings. I loved Barrett's smartass reaction when Z approached him before the melee though. I can't read Zambrano's lips, well hell I probably couldn't understand him talking anyway, but Z probably just blamed Barrett for the crossup and said something smartass about his throw. But I could definitely read Barrett's lips: "Look at the fucking scoreboard, you gave up 13 hits!" Both players were pulled by Piniella the next inning and weren't seen on the bench after. I'm guessing Zambrano had a shit parade in the locker room, abusing any towel boy with the nearest Louisville Slugger in sight. His troubles are becoming a major issue for a team that has had a rough start despite outscoring their opponents 231-220. It would not be surprising to me at all if Z is traded before the deadline this year. He is in his last years of arbitration and it will take a huge contract to keep him in Chicago, and the Cubs desperately need some bullpen help. But what went wrong with Zambrano? How has he gone from a bright young star into Batting Practice for NL teams? The Hardball Times' Carlos Gomez wrote a short article on Zambrano, and it shows a definite drop in his arm slot from '05, his best year, and now. A drop in the arm slot has huge implications for a sinkerball pitcher like Big Z. A sinkerball pitcher has to stay on top of the ball in order to get the downward rotation for a "heavy" sinker. Gomez theorizes that it could be due to him hiding a sore shoulder or even worse, a shoulder injury. This all makes great sense considering that Zambrano has been at top of the Majors in PAP (Pitcher Abuse Points) the last 4 years. Maybe like another Rothschild gem, Kerry Wood, the years of abuse have simply taken its toll on Zambrano. His pitching lines are way off his nearly dominating career averages, He is giving up homeruns at twice his average, walking nearly a batter more per game, striking out 3 less men per game, and his superb Groundball rate has fallen below his average. This of course couldn't come at a worse time for Z, as he's playing for one of those obnoxiously large contracts that teams have been handing out lately. (Yes, Juan Pierre is really making 44 million over 5 years...Juan Pierre!!!) I think the best thing the Cubs can do in this situation is to trade Zambrano while he still has some value. The demand for pitchers like Zambrano at his age is tremendous. If they can pull off a Josh Beckett type deal (Anibal Sanchez and Hanley Ramirez) they could be sitting pretty for a few years to come. But this being the Cubs and GM Jim Hendry, they more than likely will hang on to a pitcher that is unsignable and he will continue to suffer under a pitching coach who managed to help destroy 2 of the brightest arms of this early century. A third could be in the works.