Cubs 6, Reds 0
Every time he wins a game, the probability of Carlos Zambrano staying in a Cubs uniform through 2012 goes up a percentage point or two.
After Sunday’s 6-0 victory over Cincinnati, his league-leading 14th of the year, the Zambran-o-meter went up once again.
“It’s 97 percent now,” he said with a grin.
Zambrano pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings on Sunday before leaving with thigh cramps, and finished with more hits as a batter (three) than he allowed (two), as the Cubs won for the 23rd time in their last 32 games and moved a half-game behind first-place Milwaukee.
Derrek Lee homered for the fifth time in his last eight games, showing the consistent power stroke that’s eluded him since his broken wrist in April 2006. The Cubs follow Lee’s lead, taking a low-key approach to their red-hot spell since the start of June.
“We’re trying to keep an even keel,” Lee said. “We kind of expected this out of ourselves.”
The Cubs finished the road trip to St. Louis and Cincinnati with a 4-2 record, and begin a seven-game homestand against Philadelphia and the New York Mets on Monday night.
“We’re going to have our hands full at Wrigley,” manager Lou Piniella said. “Let’s see if we’re up to the challenge.”
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CUBS HITS
With the Cubs scheduled to face three left-handers during the upcoming homestand in the Phillies’ Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer, and the Mets’ Tom Glavine, switch-hitting OF Angel Pagan may get more at-bats while Jacque Jones sits.
– Pat Hughes returned to the Cubs’ radio booth on WGN-AM Sunday after missing three games with what he called a “nasty virus.”
– Kerry Wood, on what it feels like to be 30: “I never thought about that until I had a guy in Peoria say he used to watch me when he was like 11. That’s the first time I’d heard that. I told him to beat it.”
NEXT SERIES
Vs. Philadelphia
Monday: 6:05 p.m., CSN/ESPN. LH Cole Hamels (11-5, 3.63 ERA) vs. LH Ted Lilly (11-4, 3.46).
Tuesday: 7:05 p.m., WCIU. RH Adam Eaton (9-6, 5.83) vs. RH Jason Marquis (7-6, 4.20).
Wednesday: 7:05 p.m., CSN. LH Jamie Moyer (9-8, 4.75) vs. LH Rich Hill (6-6, 3.59).
Thursday: 1:20 p.m., WGN. RH J.D. Durbin (3-2, 6.30) vs. LH Sean Marshall (5-4, 3.10).
Phillies CF Aaron Rowand is hitting .378 in July, with a .413 average since the All-Star break. Mike Fontenot is hitting .203 in July with five RBIs after hitting .397 in June.
