Cubs place RHP Zambrano on DL

Jun 21, 2008 - 3:39 PM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Chicago Cubs placed ace Carlos Zambrano on the 15-day disabled list prior to Saturday's game against the Chicago White Sox with a minor strain in his right shoulder.

Despite the move, which was retroactive to Thursday, the Cubs were relieved Friday, when they learned that Zambrano's injury was not worse. He is not expected to be sidelined for an extended period and could miss as few as three starts. Zambrano would be eligible to return on July 4.

Zambrano left Wednesday's start at Tampa Bay in the seventh inning with shoulder discomfort, causing panic among the Cubs' fanatical fan base. Losing Zambrano for several weeks could have been a huge blow for the surprising Cubs, who boast the best record in the major leagues at 46-28.

Chicago already is without left fielder Alfonso Soriano, who is expected to miss another month with a broken hand.

However, an MRI on Friday revealed only a minor injury for the durable Zambrano, who is on the DL for just the second in his career. He missed nearly a month in 2002 with a right elbow strain.

The righthander allowed five runs - four earned - and seven hits with four walks in Wednesday's 5-4 loss at Tampa Bay. Zambrano leads the staff in innings pitched with 106 1/3 and is tied with Ryan Dempster for the team lead in wins.

"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."

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

To take Zambrano's spot on the roster, Chicago recalled infielder Eric Patterson from Class AAA Iowa. Patterson joins the Cubs for the third time this season and will be in uniform for Saturday's contest. The 25-year-old is batting .143 with two RBI in five games with Chicago this year.