Monday’s makeup game against the Houston Astros had the potential to be the most psychoanalyzed game in recent Cubs memory.
Carlos Zambrano, the scheduled starting pitcher, said he expected Michael Barrett to be back behind the plate catching him.
The two are linked in the minds of Cubs fans as if they were Ali and Frazier after their two-round, two-venue bout June 1 that left Barrett in need of stitches.
They have since reconciled, and Zambrano has said he would welcome Barrett as his receiver.
But Zambrano doesn’t make out the lineup card, and manager Lou Piniella said Sunday that backup Koyie Hill will catch Zambrano on Monday. The reason he gave, however, had more to do with the quick turnaround from Sunday’s night game than the fight.
“We get in at 2 a.m. [Monday],” Piniella said. “At some point we’ll reunite them as batterymates.” But with things calmed down and the Cubs enjoying a decent stretch of play, Monday doesn’t seem the time to experiment in interpersonal relations.
So Hill, who caught Zambrano’s first start after the fight in Milwaukee, will once again be Tim McCarver to Zambrano’s Steve Carlton.
“Mike can’t catch every game,” Hill said. “He does a nice job. We need someone to hit in the middle of the order [with Aramis Ramirez out], so he’s going to play [Sunday] and we’re going to get in late.”
Floyd may return Piniella said Cliff Floyd might be available to play Monday night against Houston.
Floyd will be eligible to come off the bereavement list after leaving the team Friday to return to Chicago and be with his ailing father. If Floyd is available, the Cubs will have to make a roster move, and infielder Mike Fontenot complicated their decision with an RBI triple and his first major-league homer in Sunday night’s game.
Piniella said he’d discuss the matter with general manager Jim Hendry on Monday. “As of now I don’t know,” he said.
Extra innings Derrek Lee was three for his last 10 going into Sunday’s game, but overall the trip was a struggle–he went 0-for-4 Sunday to finish 4-for-29. Not having Ramirez in the lineup behind him has allowed teams to go after Lee differently. “He’s not getting as many good pitches to hit,” Piniella said. “[Pitchers] are not giving in to him.” … Sunday’s game was Piniella’s 3,000th as a manager. He’s the fourth active manager to reach the milestone, joining Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre.
