That's right..  Now that Piniella and the Cubs have been raked over the coals by bloggers and national media, it's time to call it what it is.  And this is potentially a season saving move.

 For a team that's seen it's first 2 8th inning options injured already (not that we didn't see that coming, at least in Guzman's case) and already blown several late-inning leads because of the general atrociousness of the bullpen, something had to be done.  And putting Z in the 8th was about the only option they had to keep the bullpen from ruining the season before it got started.  Consider:

  #1.  With Lilly, Dempster and Wells we still have a rotation that competes with anyone in the division. 

 #2.  The bullpen is so horrible that Z could potentially save another 6-8 losses by the trade deadline.  No one else currently in the rotation or minors comes close to filling this hole.

 

 #3.  The fans will love him for it as soon as we get back home.  For a guy who lives on adrenaline, this could work.  And I say anyone who sits while Zambrano is pitching the rest of the season at Wrigley should be asked to leave, rudely if necessary.  that's from pitch one to out #3.  Got it?  We own the 8th and 9th at home.

 

#4.  It buys time for Hendry to find a late inning reliever and saves Zambrano innings on his arm, so he could be fresh in August, September and yes, potentially October.  Putting 150 innings on his arm this year instead of 220 isn't ultimately all bad for a guy you've got locked up for a couple more seasons.

 

#5.  yeah, the offense has been bad.   But the Castro rumours have pushed Theriot the past couple days, and really, the poor offense can be largely attributed to 1 player.  

So when you consider that when May rolls around and Aramis gets rolling, this team could easily move from the bottom half of the league in runs scored to the top half. 

 

And with a quality rotation and a solidified bullpen, that's an easy recipe for contention in the NL Central.  And maybe even something more.  Why the hell not?

  Yours in undying faith,   South Wabash Soul