Carlos Zambrano: Thanks, but No Thanks, Vol. 2

Less than a week ago, I wrote a piece in which I referred to Carlos Zambrano as "Big Zero" after he failed to look competent against the Washington Nationals.

The response to that piece was mixed, as is the general sentiment towards Zambrano in Chicago these days. Statistically, Zambrano is as good as any right handed pitcher in the game for his career. But lately, his injuries and attitude have aggravated many fans.

When the Cubs began a homestand with the Nationals, and Zambrano had a poor showing, I was angry. Big-money pitchers need to be their best when the money's on the table. Over the next few weeks, the Cubs are playing a mediocre schedule with their playoff hopes on the line.

Zambrano needs to lead. He didn't against Washington, and he was worse against the Mets on Sunday.

And, if the quick-trigger manager Lou Piniella showed pulling Zambrano Sunday is any indication, management might be tiring of Zambrano as much as many fans are right now.

Zambrano was relieved after only 3.1 innings on Sunday, having allowed just four runs (three of which were earned). He had thrown only 75 pitches, walking none and striking out three.

There is no reason, against the New York Mets, for the Cubs to think they needed to take Zambrano out of Sunday's game unless their patience is running thin.

For a wonderful contrast that might shed light on Piniella's confidence in Zambrano, look only back 24 hours to Saturday. Ryan Dempster allowed four earned runs in the first four innings, and the Cubs were trailing. Very similar to Zambrano.

But Dempster was allowed to stay in the game and work through his struggles, and, thanks to Jake Fox, he earned a win after throwing six innings. Dempster ended up throwing 106 pitches, walking two and striking out seven on Saturday.

Piniella allowed Dempster to work through issues on Saturday. On Sunday, Zambrano did not have that leverage with his manager.

There is a lot of understandable frustration on the Cubs roster, and, to his credit, Zambrano has dealt with a couple of injuries this year and underperformed to his contract, but has accepted the boos from Cubs fans with a relative professionalism lacking from other players on the team.

But the professionalism he has shown in keeping his wits about him when he's booed has not been shown in his maturity at times this season. In my article from earlier this week, I called out Zambrano's early season ejection as well as his recent back issue in Colorado, where he didn't inform the team of his back being uncomfortable until just minutes before a scheduled start.

Zambrano is under contract with the Cubs for roughly $18 million each of the next three seasons, with a vesting option for 2013 that would escalate his salary to $19.25 million for that season if he places highly in the Cy Young voting.

His stuff is undeniable; the numbers will tell you that he is indeed one of the best young right-handers in the game. But his temper and maturity might make Zambrano a player the Cubs don't need to keep to become a championship team in the future.