News
Big Z marks anniversary of no-hitter
Chicago (74-68) vs. Milwaukee (69-74), 7:05 p.m. CT
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
09/14/09 11:40 PM ET
CHICAGO -- Geovany Soto still wears the silver Rolex watch simply inscribed: "No-hitter, 9-14-2008." It was a gift last year from Carlos Zambrano to Soto, who was behind the plate when the Cubs pitcher threw his first career no-hitter. Monday marked the one-year anniversary of Big Z's historic game, accomplished at Miller Park against the Astros. Zambrano will start on Tuesday in Game 2 of the Cubs' four-game series against the Brewers. "Maybe tomorrow I'll throw another one," Zambrano quipped when reminded of the anniversary by Soto on Monday. Were you one of the lucky 23,441 who attended the game at Miller Park? • "I remember catching him in the bullpen [warming up], and the last three pitches were really hard," Soto said. "I told [pitching coach] Larry [Rothschild], 'I've got a good feeling about this.' Then he goes out and throws a no-hitter. The last inning, he was throwing 94 [mph], 98, 93." Did Soto leave Zambrano alone on the bench between innings? "I just stayed in the same place I always do, right next to Hank [Henry Blanco], talking about the game and trying to get my hits in," Soto said. "We pretty much stayed away from the conversation." So, no mention of the possible no-no? "No, we just went about our business, and it happened," Soto said. • Rothschild still has the lineup card from the game, which was moved to Miller Park after the Houston area was ravaged by a hurricane. Zambrano signed the souvenir. "He had good warmups and took it out to the game and really got on a roll," Rothschild said. "He had command of all his pitches and was mixing in and out. Usually in a no-hitter, there are some plays that make a difference, and there weren't very many in that one. That tells you how good his stuff was." Zambrano had come close in previous outings. "He told me, 'I'm not superstitious. I know I have a no-hitter,'" Rothschild said. "That made me stay further away from him [in the dugout], because I didn't want to hear it." The Cubs won, 5-0, and in the second game of that makeup series, Ted Lilly nearly matched Zambrano's feat. He held the Astros hitless through six innings, and Mark Loretta singled with one out in the seventh to break it up. "The next day was a little stranger [than Zambrano's game], because Teddy took a no-hitter into the seventh," Rothschild said. "That's a lot of innings to not give up a hit in back-to-back days like that. The next day was a little surreal." • Reed Johnson started for the Cubs in center field and had one of the best views of Zambrano's feat. "I just remember watching what he was doing and how hard he was throwing, and thinking in the fourth or fifth inning, he's one of those guys, if he hasn't given up a hit in the fourth, this might be the day he doesn't give one up, because he has that good of stuff," Johnson said. "Other guys rely on good defense. He just has such good stuff." • Cubs television broadcaster Bob Brenly is no stranger to no-hitters. He was the D-backs manager when Randy Johnson threw a perfect game on May 18, 2004, against the Braves. Brenly, who was in the TV booth calling the game, could tell early that Zambrano had something special going. "It was one of those rare games, where early on, by his rhythm and demeanor on the mound, coupled with his stuff, you could tell," Brenly said. "Sometimes a pitcher has great stuff, but for whatever reason, he doesn't seem comfortable on the mound. [Zambrano] looked comfortable. His stuff was awesome. He was throwing strikes, he was working quickly, but not so quickly that he was fighting himself. We see it a lot more with hitters because they go in and out of slumps over the course of a season a lot more often than pitchers do. "But on that particular night, you could tell from early on, everything was in sync. His stuff was very good, and we were playing a Houston team that was a little tired and beat up at that point. It was just like the perfect storm for that one night." Zambrano's outing reminded Brenly of Johnson's gem. "We knew it was going to be tough to make solid contact against [Johnson], and he went on to throw the perfect game," Brenly said, "and that's the same way I felt about Zambrano that night." Pitching matchupCHC: RHP Carlos Zambrano (8-6, 3.77 ERA)
Zambrano picked up his first win since July 22 when he beat the Pirates in his previous start. Big Z gave up two runs on five hits over six innings and struck out eight. But how long will he go against the Brewers? Zambrano wasn't happy when Lou Piniella pulled him in the sixth, and the Cubs manager said next time he'll let the right-hander go the distance, even if it means he throws 200 pitches. Piniella said he wants Zambrano to win three, four more games in the final stretch. He's got about four starts left in the regular season. MIL: RHP Yovani Gallardo (12-11, 3.59 ERA)
Worried about the 23-year-old's workload after he spent most of last season on the disabled list, the Brewers skipped Gallardo's last scheduled start. That means he should be fresh for his return to Wrigley Field, the site of the devastating knee injury on May 1 of last season that cost Gallardo all but four regular-season starts. Gallardo said he understood the decision by Brewers officials to limit his starts the rest of the way. "I don't want to be shut down. I want to finish out the year strong," Gallardo said. "We're trying to find ways to make that happen. It's somewhat of [a compromise]. I feel like everything is coming out nice and easy. You have to deal with it, I guess. It's in the best interest for me. I know they're looking out." Tidbits
Piniella has one thing set for 2010: Carlos Marmol's role. The right-hander will be the closer heading into next year. "I think he's done enough and shown enough, and we have confidence in him enough that going into Spring Training next year, it's his job and we'll leave it at that," Piniella said of Marmol, who has nine straight saves since taking over for Kevin Gregg on Aug. 18. ... Piniella and Rothschild were considering inserting Tom Gorzelanny or another young pitcher into the mix to give the rest of the rotation a breather. "We have enough pitching here to do what we want to do," Piniella said. "We're still not eliminated, and we're still trying to win as many games as possible. We'll see when we sit down and talk." ... Kosuke Fukudome's hitting coach from Japan has rejoined the Cubs. The outfielder needs a little tweaking. He's batting .149 this month. ... Actress Drew Barrymore will lead the Wrigley Field crowd in the seventh-inning stretch on Tuesday, followed by actor Richard Dreyfuss on Wednesday and comedian Dennis Miller on Thursday. ... Double-A Tennessee will open the Southern League championship series against Jacksonville on Tuesday in Jacksonville. Chris Carpenter is scheduled to start for the Smokies. ... Outfielder Kyler Burke and pitcher Casey Coleman were named the Cubs' Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year. ... Angel Guzman (sore triceps) should be available on Wednesday. ... Reed Johnson will see a specialist Wednesday to check on the progress of his fractured left foot. He still hopes to play this season. Tickets
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• Wednesday: Cubs (Rich Harden, 9-8, 4.04) vs. Brewers (Braden Looper, 12-6, 4.77), 7:05 p.m. CT
• Thursday: Cubs (Randy Wells, 10-8, 2.96) vs. Brewers (Dave Bush, 4-7, 5.85), 1:20 p.m. CT
• Friday: Cubs (Ted Lilly, 12-8, 3.05) at Cardinals (Kyle Lohse, 5-8, 4.83), 7:15 p.m. CT
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
