Chicago Tribune.
Quote:
Though Cubs right-hander Carlos Zambrano was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a strained left hamstring, he doesn't believe the injury will curtail his pinch-hitting appearances in the future.
Zambrano suffered the injury beating out a bunt in the fifth inning of Sunday's 6-4 victory over the Marlins, and he'll be eligible to pitch -- or pinch-hit -- again on May 19 in St. Louis.
"It's a Grade 2 tear in the belly of the muscle," manager Lou Piniella said. "It's going to be the full two weeks. Our medical team seems to think ... when he's eligible to come off the [disabled list], he'll be able to pitch that week, whether it's the beginning of that week or the end of that week. He'll miss a couple turns."
Because the Cubs have had to get by with a short bench because of injuries to Milton Bradley, Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee, Zambrano has had to make three pinch-hitting appearances this season.
Zambrano took umbrage at the notion his $91.5 million contract should force the Cubs to limit his pinch-hitting appearances to avoid the possibility of aggravating the hamstring on the basepaths.
"If you make $91 million, that means you can't pinch-hit?" he said. "This is the National League. I will do anything I can to help my team."
Zambrano argued that since he wasn't pinch-hitting when he suffered the injury, there's no reason to keep him from doing just that when he returns in a couple of weeks.
"Do the fans like watching me pinch-hit?" he said. "Do the fans like it when I hit a home run? Are you (general manager) Jim Hendry? Are you Lou Piniella?"
Piniella said he wasn't worried about the risk of having Zambrano injured while pinch-hitting and said he had "no choices" because of the short bench.
"We're trying to win baseball games, and he's a good pinch-hitter," he said. "That has nothing to do with him getting hurt. He laid down a good bunt, it was a 2-2 ballgame.
"I know a lot of people say, 'Why did he bunt?' Well, if he had hit a ball off the wall and hurt it trying to go into second with a double, [would they say] he shouldn't have hit a double?"
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While I might be hesitant to pinch-hit a pitcher in any situation, I cannot blame Piniella in the least. The Cubs need to stay on-track, and, with injuries rocking the team, Zambrano was the best bat on the bench. Plus, he wasn't injured pinch-hitting.
Zambrano to the DL
Zambrano to the DL
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