Zambrano Punches Out Barrett Instead Of Braves

Carlos Zambrano posted a sweet line of 5 IP, 13 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, and 0 Ks. His defense gave him no help today though, as both Murton and Barrett committed costly mistakes. In the 1st inning, Barrett lost a foul popup in the sun, which led to a basehit later in the at-bat. In the 5th inning, Barrett allowed a pitch to go by him for his 7th pass ball (yuck) of the season. He then tried to gun down the runner advancing to 3rd, throwing the ball wide of the bag, and allowing the runner to score. After the inning was over, Zambrano approached Barrett in the dugout and started yelling at him, presumably about his play that inning, pointing to his head as if to say "use your head". Barrett returned the favor and yelled back, pointing to the scoreboard, presumably to remind Zambrano of his poor performance today. Zambrano then went after Barrett, shoving his head back and trying to punch him. Here's a video of the play (or lack thereof) by Barrett in the 5th, followed by the dugout scuffle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O64BqGsVwM

Afterwards, they again tangled in the clubhouse, with Zambrano busting Barrett's lip open. Zambrano was then sent home for being a bad boy.

I'm not at all defending Zambrano's actions, but I can sympathize with his frustration. From his vantage point, he feels the Cubs are disrepecting him. His numbers over the past 4 years put him in the top 5 starters over that timeframe, and he's endured large workloads without suffering an injury, pitching over 200 innings each season. Being that he's only 26, he feels there's no way he shouldn't be paid a monster contract as his upside is much higher than Barry Zito's, for comparison's sake. He has some of the best stuff in the majors, can have light's out control when he's on, he's young, and he's a passionate pitcher.

However, from the Cubs vantage point, they question his work ethic and his mental state of mind. They don't feel he's fully commited to staying in the shape they request of him, and he has mental breakdowns on the field that often cost the team runs and also games. The Cubs have to understand that he is what he is, and he's probably not going to change at this point. Either make him an offer to keep him with the team, or trade him and get something in return for a player who has the talent to be a staff ace for any team that doesn't already have Santana or Peavy.

Michael Barrett sucks. He's a quality hitting catcher, posting averages of .287, .276, and .307 while hitting 16 HRs in each of his 3 seasons with the Cubs. However, he had 10 passed balls last year, and is up to 7 already this year. He's only hitting .244 this year, so he's not doing his job at the plate either. Zambrano is 3-1 with a 3.27 ERA with Blanco behind the plate, but he's 2-3 with a horrible 7.07 ERA with Barrett behind the plate, and that was before today's abysmal performance. Pinella said that Blanco would be his personal catcher after Zambrano's fine outing against LA on Saturday, but Blanco's trip to the DL put Barrett back there. Greg Maddux didn't like Barrett catching him either, opting to bring Blanco over from the Braves with him when he signed with the Cubs prior to the 2005 season. When Maddux and Zambrano don't want you catching for them, it says something about your ability as a defensive catcher.

Fantasy Impact: Zambrano's line wasn't as bad as it looked today, but he again let mistakes that were out of his control affect his pitching. I read that he was hitting 93 MPH for a while, so it seems like his velocity might be coming back. I can't imagine the Cubs not disciplining him for this, so owners should be expecting some sort of suspension to be handed down shortly. Perhaps some added rest for his arm might actually help him out. Those who own Barrett should also be aware of a suspension as well, as I doubt he'll get away unpunished either. A trade is another possibility for either player, with Barrett being more likely to be dealt.