After a dismal eight game skid that saw the ineptitude of offense, and ineffective pitching on the rare occasions that the offense put anything on the board, the Chicago Cubs might be attempting to right the ship.

You might remember two years ago, at the start of June, the Cubs were scuffling, below .500, when Carlos Zambrano and Michael Barrett got into violent fisticuffs where Zambrano busted Barrett up.  Barrett would end up being dealt to the Padres later that month.  Lou Piniella had a run in with an umpire in a game with the Atlanta Braves, and his tirade led to a suspension as well.  Those two sparks ignited the Cubs, helping drive the team the last four months of the season  en route to capturing the National League Central Division crown. 

After the 10-8 loss to the Pirates in the opener of the three game set, and seven game homestand, that extended the losing skid to eight games, Sean Marshall took the hill against Ian Snell Tuesday night.  Marshall drove in a run with a two out, RBI single and pitched six effective innings in a game that was shortened by rain, a 6-1 victory that snapped the losing skid.  It also put Zambrano on the hill for a second chance at picking up his 100th career win, not to mention a chance for the team to win a series for the first time since sweeping the Padres back in mid May.  His opposing pitcher would be Zach Duke, who was stellar in his first five starts at Wrigley Field, but had struggled against the Cubs in recent outings. 

The Cubs plated a pair of runs in the first, but were stymied over the next six frames by the lefthander, despite multiple chances to put runs on the board.  Zambrano gave up a run on a floater single in the fourth, but going to the seventh, still had a 2-1 lead and a chance to get the win.  However, that was about to unravel, along with Z's composure.

Nyjer Morgan led off the top of the seventh with a base hit down the left field line.  Alfonso Soriano went to cut it off, but misplayed it, the ball skipping under his glove and rolling down into the corner, with Morgan scampering all the way to third.  Zambrano managed to retire Delwyn Young on a foulout to catcher Geovany Soto.  In Young's defense, at least he put the ball in play for the out.  His first three at bats sent him back to the dugout on called third strikes.  With Nate McLouth at the dish, Zambrano uncorked a wild pitch.  Morgan raced to the plate, and according to home plate umpire Mark Carlson, beat the tag of Zambrano, tying the game.  Zambrano was suspended for six games in a ruling handed down by Major League Baseball just moments ago.  MLB stated that the suspension was for "inappropriate and violent actions on the field and in the dugout."

Zambrano completely lost it, going toe to toe with Carlson, who seemed to initiate contact with Zambrano.  Carlson then ejected Zambrano, only to see Zambrano then toss him.  Zambrano proceeded to throw his glove, throw the ball into the outfield, and then abuse the Gatorade dispenser in the dugout before making his way to the clubhouse.



It was the second time the dispenser was maimed in the series, as Ryan Dempster went after it in Monday's contest.  Angel Guzman came in and got the final two outs of the seventh, including a great grab against the center field wall by Reed Johnson, robbing Adam LaRoche of extra bases.

The score would remain that way until the bottom of the eighth, when with one out, Johnson, who kept the score even with that grab in the seventh, gave the Cubs the lead when he tagged a solo homer to left center field.  The Cubs would go on to plate two more runs in the frame, courtesy of RBI doubles by callups Andres Blanco and Andy Fox.  Fox was leading the Pacific Coast League in the Triple Crown categories down in Iowa, hitting .423 with 17 homers and 50 RBI in 40 games.  Kevin Gregg pitched the ninth for the save, his seventh in eight chances and first since May 10th.  He was helped by a mental lapse by Freddy Sanchez,  who was doubled off on a fly ball by Morgan that Milton Bradley ran down. 

It remains to be seen if this sparks the club the way previous incidents have in the Piniella era.  The team still has injuries to deal with, and will have to continue winning ballgames to stay in the race with St. Louis, Milwaukee and even Cincinnati playing tough baseball right now.  The Cubs open up a four game set with the Dodgers tonight at Wrigley Field with Randy Wells making his fourth start for the Cubs against Randy Wolf.  It can be seen on the MLB Network, if you're fortunate enough to get it.  I'm still waiting for it here, with no real firm date for that in sight.