Injury to Cubs' Zambrano not serious

Jun 21, 2008 - 12:21 AM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Chicago Cubs received some good news on their ace pitcher Friday.

Carlos Zambrano, who left Wednesday's start in the seventh inning with shoulder discomfort, was diagnosed with a minor strain of his pitching shoulder after undergoing a series of tests.

He will miss his next scheduled start on Tuesday, but is not expected to be sidelined for an extended period of time.

"The good news is there was no structural damage to the two main parts of his shoulder," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. "The two worrisome parts of his shoulder are the labrum and the rotator cuff, and they're in very, very good shape for a man who has pitched as many innings in the big leagues that he has."

Zambrano left in the bottom of the seventh inning at Tampa Bay when he was in obvious pain after throwing one ball to Eric Hinske. Cubs manager Piniella and the team trainer then visited Zambrano on the mound and removed him from the game.

The righthander is 8-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 16 starts this season.