Carlos

Zambrano

Carlos Zambrano struggled in Game 1, but he’s still likely to start. Because Mark Prior threw 116 pitches in Game 2, bringing him back on three days’ rest in Game 5 would be a mistake.

Monday’s off-day allows him not to miss a start. Zambrano will go Wednesday against the Padres.

Zambrano left Sunday’s game with back tightness. Keep him active.

It seems likely that his arm is bothering him. Michael Wuertz took over to start the fourth.

Better than the arm. Zambrano’s had back problems from time to time, but they’ve never caused him to miss a start.

It would have been a shutout for the Cubs, but Jeromy Burnitz slipped on a routine flyball to right with two outs in the ninth to give the Cardinals a run. Zambrano received a visit from Dusty Baker and the trainer in the sixth inning, but it was a brief one. If his back was still troubling him, it didn’t show up in his performance. He was hitting 97-98 mph with regularity.

''The third inning it started to bother me. I went as far as I could,’' Zambrano said. If the Cubs were in better position, maybe Zambrano would get a week off now. The club can’t afford to back off him, though.

Tests taken after the right-hander left his start Sunday after three innings were negative and he’s being called day-to-day.

Oswalt gave up four runs in seven innings. Zambrano, who threw six innings before his back tightened up on him five days ago, struck out 10 and threw 116 pitches tonight. He also hit his fourth career homer, so it seems safe to assume his back is feeling better.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of a comeback. Zambrano, who turns 38 this June, briefly pitched in the Mexican League last year before also appearing in the Venezuelan Winter League. He credits his faith for getting back on the mound and is committed to giving it another shot after he was throwing 94 mph in Venezuela. It’s an interesting situation to follow, but the odds will be long for someone who hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2012.