ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano is set to fly home to Chicago to be examined by a doctor after leaving the seventh inning of Wednesday night’s game against Tampa Bay with discomfort in his right shoulder.
Zambrano, a two-time NL all-star, grimaced after throwing his final pitch, and catcher Geovany Soto motioned toward the dugout for manager Lou Piniella to go out to the mound to check on the right-hander.
“It was out of the blue. I saw something funny. He made a funny face. I knew something was wrong,” Soto said.
Zambrano tried to convince Piniella to let him remain in the game, which the Cubs lost 5-4.
“We did the right thing getting him out, obviously,” Piniella said.
Cardinals place Reyes on DL.
The Cardinals placed Anthony Reyes on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right elbow, hours before he was to replace injured Todd Wellemeyer in the rotation.
Randolph thought coaches would be fired.
Willie Randolph figured the Mets would fire someone. He just didn’t think general manager Omar Minaya would pick him.
“I thought he was talking about whacking a couple of my coaches,” the former manager told several New York-area newspapers Wednesday outside his home in Franklin Lakes, N.J.
“That’s why I was stunned. I didn’t think it was going to happen,” Randolph said.
Minaya fired Randolph, pitching coach Rick Peterson and first-base coach Tom Nieto on Monday.
Hafner seeks second opinion.
Indians slugger Travis Hafner is getting a second opinion on his sore right shoulder.
Hafner is traveling to Birmingham, Ala., to be evaluated by renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews.
The Associated Press
