Zambrano ready, willing, able; Ace insists extension excuses are thing of the past

Alfonso Soriano returned Tuesday. Carlos Zambrano plans to do thesame tonight, and that would have an even bigger impact on the Cubs'chances down the stretch.

Zambrano hasn't been the same since contract talks resumed thismonth -- unless you're talking about the same as he was the firsttwo months of the season. The Cubs' pitching ace is winless in fourAugust starts and is 0-3 with an 8.50 ERA in the last three.

He admitted the distraction of renewed talks on an eventual five-year, $91.5 million extension affected his pitching.

"I say no, but a little bit had to," said Zambrano, who addedanother clunker last week in San Francisco in his only officialstart since signing the contract.

"We need to get him hot and roll off four or five in a row,"manager Lou Piniella said last weekend.

It might take nothing less than that for the Cubs to regainenough forward motion during the final five weeks to outlast therest of the who-wants-it National League Central.

The Cubs were the best team in baseball during Zambrano's 9-2,1.41 ERA run through June and July, but they have lumbered through a10-14 stretch since Aug. 1 as Zambrano got distracted.

Two days after his extension was announced, Zambrano pitched anine-up, nine-down start against the St. Louis Cardinals that waswashed out by rain. Then came a road trip that included a rush ofmedia attention, particularly from reporters traveling from hisnative Venezuela.

But all the pre- and post-contract distractions are gone now, hesaid on the eve of what might be his biggest start of the season.

"It's normal now," he said.

And he's counting on that meaning dominant. He said he relishesthe idea of being the focus -- and the critical player -- in theCubs' drive toward a possible playoff berth.

"That's good," he said. "I like to be challenged. If that willcause us to go to the playoffs, I'll do anything and do the bestpossible to pitch my game and lead this team to the playoffs."

gwittenmyer@suntimes.com

Z'S WILD RIDE

Carlos Zambrano's up-and-down season can be broken into threedistinct segments:

W-L ERA

First 12 starts 5-5 5.62

Next 11 starts 9-2 1.41

4 August starts 0-3 7.04

Season totals 14-10 3.95