Carlos Zambrano Will Have His Arm Examined Today

When Carlos Zambrano missed his start on Sunday, everyone shrugged and said it was a precautionary move with an eye towards October. Things appear much more serious now, as Big Z left his start against the Astros after five lackluster innings, saying that he couldn't pitch any more. He left to be examined and the Cubs dropped their fourth straight, allowing the Brewers to narrow the division lead to 4 1/2 games.

This is about the worst news the Cubs could get at this time of year and it has the Cubs fans running for cover out of fear that the sky is falling. Even Lou Piniella was bristlier than usual after the game:

''If he can pitch, he can pitch,'' Piniella said. ''If he can't, we'll put [Sean] Marshall in the rotation and go from there.''
[...]
''Did anybody think this thing was going to be real easy?'' Piniella said. ''You didn't hear that from me all year. We're in a stretch here where things aren't going our way, and we've just got to keep battling and keep our confidence up.''

Obviously this is bigger than just putting Sean Marshall in the rotation if Zambrano is hurt. His ugly August might suggest an injury, but after a short DL stint in June he came back strongly. This situation may be similar to that, though if it's not the Cubs are going into the playoffs lead by Rich Harden and Ryan Dempster in their rotation. That's a scary thought for anyone.