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Zambrano sharp in return, Cubs down Reds

By Paul Sullivan | Tribune reporter

12:50 AM CDT, July 10, 2008

Cubs brass is considering a move to end the 71-year-old tradition of flying the "L" flag above the center-field scoreboard after losses at Wrigley Field, believing it's best not to advertise a losing performance.

But as long as the Cubs continue to win at home, the subject is a moot point.

They raised the "W" flag for the 17th time in their last 19 games after Wednesday's 5-1 victory over Cincinnati. Carlos Zambrano turned in another electric performance before an appreciative crowd of 41,605.

"Zambrano is going to be Zambrano," Aramis Ramirez said. "He's the ace. He got hurt and his last two starts he has allowed [one] run. Every time he goes out there, you have a pretty good chance to win the ballgame."

The Cubs cruised to their third straight victory as Ramirez snapped a 1-1 tie in the sixth with a leadoff home run into the left-field bleachers and added an RBI double in the three-run seventh.

Ted Lilly goes for his 10th victory Thursday as the Cubs go for the sweep, knowing he will be hard-pressed to keep up with his fellow starters.

Zambrano improved to 10-3, limiting the Reds to one run on one hit over eight innings, walking no one in his best outing of the year. It came one day after fellow All-Star selection Ryan Dempster ran his record to 10-3 by holding the Reds to one run on two hits over seven innings.

Combined, they have limited the Reds to an .064 average in the first two games of the series.

With Rich Harden joining the staff and making his Cubs debut Saturday, manager Lou Piniella has a staff that's difficult to match.

"[Harden is] a warrior," Zambrano said. "It's good to have myself and Dempster and Lilly and Harden and [ Jason] Marquis.

"We'll welcome him here to the team and hopefully he can be as good for us as he was with Oakland."

Zambrano is 2-0 with an 0.64 earned-run average since coming off the disabled list Friday in St. Louis, dominating in both outings. His only blemish Wednesday was Adam Dunn's center-field home run leading off the second that gave the Reds a brief 1-0 lead.

Zambrano retired the last 20 men he faced before leaving after the eighth inning.

He wanted to stay in, but Piniella felt 103 pitches was enough.

"So we let him hit [in the bottom of the inning], and that appeased him a little bit," Piniella said.

Trailing 1-0, the Cubs tied it in the second when Geovany Soto scored on Jeff Keppinger's error.

Ramirez's 16th homer made it 2-1 in the sixth, and the Cubs knocked out rookie Johnny Cueto in the three-run seventh.

Zambrano received a standing ovation as he left the mound after the top of the eighth, and another when he stepped to the plate in the bottom half of the inning. The atmosphere at Wrigley Field has been pulsating since the opener March 31.

"Somebody told me it's like the playoffs every day," Harden said.

And it's not even the All-Star break yet.

psullivan@tribune.com

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Zambrano sharp in return, Cubs down Reds

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Related topic galleries: Lou Piniella, Jason Marquis, Baseball, Aramis Ramirez, Wrigley Field, Ted Lilly, Geovany Soto

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