The Cubs beat the Rockies Saturday night to tie the series with Colorado at one game apiece.  But the biggest news was the addition of Carlos Zambrano to the 15-day disabled list for the Cubs.  As you may recall, Zambrano came out early in his last start against Cincinnati with back spasms, but blamed the problem on sleeping on a uncomfortable mattress the night before. 

As he was warming up for Friday’s game in Colorado, Z again experienced back spasms and had to be scratched from the start.  At the last minute, Sean Marshall was called on to start the game and he didn’t do well.  In just 2.0 innings of work, Marshall gave up five hits and three earned runs and was tagged with the loss.

Here’s the question I have: Why weren’t the Cubs prepared for something like this happening?  When Zambrano reported that he was having back spasms during warm ups, why were they caught so off guard?  It seems to me that Lou Piniella should have been better prepared by having Marshall warming up or moving up Ryan Dempster’s start one night.  It wasn’t a secret that Zambrano was having trouble with his back, so why wasn’t the team better prepared?

Also, although no one is claiming that Zambrano’s back is bothering him because he swings from the heels every time he comes to the plate or that he tries to put on a homerun exhibition in batting practice before games, maybe it’s time for that nonsense to stop.  I’m one of those people that is impressed with with Zambrano’s athleticism.  Truly, he is a tremendous athlete.  But he also an investment.  The Cubs invested a lot of money in him to be their ace.  Allowing him to pinch hit, swing for the fences every at-bat, play homerun derby in batting practice, and ocassionally pinch run doesn’t seem to be a very smart way to treat the investment.  Perhaps it’s time for the Cubs to start treating Zambrano more like their number one starter rather than as a sideshow attraction.

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Ted Lilly is on his way back.  According to Dave Van Dyke of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs lefty is scheduled to return to the rotation on August 17 when the Cubs take on the Padres in San Diego.  As you may recall, Lilly was sufferring from a knew problem that apparently threw off his mechanics.  The altered mechanics hurt his shoulder and he had to be shut down.  While he was on the DL for his shoulder, Lilly wisely decide to have his knee scoped to try to eliminate any problems with his mechanics (and this his shoulder) when he returns.  Keep your fingers crossed.

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The recent fire sales conducted by the Pirates and Indians has gotten everyone talking about the need for changes to try to implement some competitive balance in baseball.  I was one of the people calling for changes.  Phil Rogers at the Baltimore Sun chimes in with his thoughts, including this interesting quote from Paul Dolan, team president of the Indians:

“The big-market teams have manipulated the draft and the international free agent markets,” Dolan told Indians beat writers during a group interview. “So you have a team like Boston that brings in the elite international free agents and also the elite prospects in the draft. There needs to be a worldwide draft with a slotting system similar to what they have in the NBA. That’s going to be a priority in the next collective bargaining agreement. We’ll never get a level playing field, but the gap needs to be closer than it is now.”

In major league sports, as in life, money gives you power.  Big-market, high-dollar teams have the ability to manipulate the system in their favor.  That will never completely change, but it is in MLB’s best interest to change the rules to keep the manipulation to a minimum.

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The Boston Red Sox designated pitcher John Smoltz for assignment a couple of days ago.  Ian Brown of MLB.com wrote about it here.  This is just me thinking out loud, but might the Cubs try to pick up Smoltz? 

Obviously, Smoltz has not had a good year.  In eight starts with Boston he is 2-5 with an 8.33 ERA.  Okay, fair enough.  But maybe the Cubs could use him in the bullpen.  I haven’t seen any of his outings this year, but from what I’m told, he hasn’t looked bad the first time through the lineup.  In his eight starts, he has only allowed runs to score in the first inning in two of those games.  Better yet, he’s only allowed a run to score in the second inning in one of those games.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you probably know that at one time, Smoltz was one of the premier closers in the game.  For his career, he has 154 saves in 169 chances.  He was an effective starter who turned effective closer following an injury.  He was coming off of an injury when he signed with Boston this year to again be a starter.  Maybe trying to become a starter again was a mistake.

If the Cubs were to pick up Smoltz, they’d be on the hook for very little money (Boston would have to pay the bulk of his salary) and they could give him a try in the bullpen.  Could he be an effective reliever?  Might he be a good set-up man?  Is it possible he could reclaim some of his previous prowess as a closer?  I don’t know, but considering what the Cubs are working with at the moment, it’s certainly worth a try.

One other thought: Smoltz has a winners mentality and a ton of post-season experience.  That can only help a team like the Cubs that seems to lack fire at times.  Adding a little urgency to the final couple of months of the season would be a good thing.

UPDATE: I’m not as smart as I thought I was.  The Cubs can’t just trade for Smoltz.  In order to be traded to the Cubs, Smoltz must first either 1) clear waivers, or 2) if he doesn’t clear waivers, the Cubs need to be the team that wins the waiver claim. 

Another scenario is for Smoltz to refuse his minor league assignment.  In that case, he’ll become a free agent and will be free to sign with any team.  The down side to this scenario is that whoever signs Smoltz will be on the hook for whatever he signs for.  Boston will no longer be responsible for his contract.  Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.