In this never-ending saga that is the Cubs season came two of the strangest chapters of all Friday night.
Carlos Zambrano walked off the field 15 minutes before his scheduled start against the Rockies with more back problems, which overshadowed the last-gasp move of Milton Bradley into the No. 2 slot in the lineup.
All of this happened as the Cubs and Rockies prepared for a key series with playoff implications, with Colorado having a better record than the Cubs in the wild card race.
Of course, the Cubs have greater aspirations than the wild card.
But trailing 6-2 late in Friday night’s game with the Rockies left them in second place, just behind the Cardinals for the National League Central lead.
The bigger immediate news was Zambrano’s sudden departure from the field while warming up to make his first start since Saturday, when he lasted only three innings against the Marlins because of back stiffness. It came as a shock to the Cubs, especially after Zambrano took batting practice Friday.
“He hasn’t complained about anything,” manager Lou Piniella said when asked about Zambrano’s health before the game.
Left-hander Sean Marshall hurriedly warmed up and made the emergency start but put the Cubs in a 3-1 hole after one inning.
The Rockies’ three runs, which came on four hits, ruined Bradley’s debut as No. 2 hitter. He had spent most of his time in the middle of the batting order, where he produced only 26 RBIs. But he was also second on the team in walks to Kosuke Fukudome, who batted right in front of him Friday.
Ryan Theriot had batted second most of the season but was dropped to No. 8.
“This has nothing to do with Theriot,” Piniella said. “We’re trying to get Bradley going, utilize his on-base percentage. If this works, we’ll stay like this for a while.”
It worked to perfection in the first inning, as Fukudome walked and sprinted to third on Bradley’s single, scoring on Derrek Lee’s double-play grounder.
Bradley’s second walk of the game, in the sixth inning, led to the Cubs’ second run, coming on Alfonso Soriano’s bloop single.
But that run only closed the gap to 5-2 as the Rockies had scored off Jeff Samardzija on Chris Ianetta’s two-run homer in the fourth.
Marshall lasted two innings before giving way to Samardzija, who was Piniella’s other option to start for Zambrano. Samardzija pitched four innings.
This four-game series is key for the Cubs because of the playoff possibilities and because it is followed by a three-gamer against the defending NL champion Phillies. The Cubs also end a tough stretch with a West Coast trip.
“I would think by middle to late August we’ll have a pretty good idea where we’re at,” Piniella said.
Lee refused to label this series and the one against the Phillies as defining.
“The only thing that will tell us about our team is where we stand on Oct. 4,” he said. “These games mean nothing. We can win all seven, but if you lose seven next week … you just have to play good the next two months.”
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dvandyck@tribune.com
On the Internet
For the result of Friday’s late game, go to chicagotribune.com/sports
*UP NEXT: Saturday at Rockies, 7:10 p.m., CSN
