• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Cubs-Reds Preview

Jun 5, 2009 - 5:23 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Chicago (26-25) at Cincinnati (28-24), 7:10 p.m. EDT

Carlos Zambrano's return to the mound for the Chicago Cubs has taken a little longer than anticipated.

After rain postponed his latest scheduled outing, Zambrano makes his first start since serving a suspension and missing a team flight as the Cubs open a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds on Friday at Great American Ballpark.

Trying for his 100th victory, Zambrano (3-2, 4.22 ERA) was scheduled to pitch Thursday's postponed finale at Atlanta. The volatile right-hander was suspended for six games by Major League Baseball on May 28, a day after his meltdown in a 5-2 win over Pittsburgh.

He allowed one earned run and seven hits while striking out six in 6 1-3 innings, but was ejected after he appeared to nudge umpire Mark Carlson while arguing a call at the plate. He then threw a baseball into left field and took a bat to a dugout drink dispenser.

This week, Zambrano also missed the team flight to Atlanta, but manager Lou Piniella has not said if Zambrano was disciplined.

"I don't have anything to say," Zambrano told the Cubs' official Web site of his latest incident. "What do you want me to say?"

The three-time All-Star is 14-10 with a 3.15 ERA in 28 starts versus the Reds. His five-game winning streak against them was snapped April 23 after he yielded three earned runs in seven innings of a 7-1 loss at Wrigley Field.

Zambrano, though, carries a scoreless streak of 22 1-3 innings at Great American Ballpark, where he has won his last three starts, into this game. He is 8-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 12 starts at Cincinnati.

Chicago (26-25) won 3-2 over the Braves in 11 innings Wednesday to snap a season-high, seven-game road losing streak. Mike Fontenot had a two-run double and Micah Hoffpauir drove in the go-ahead run for the Cubs, who are 5-3 since losing a season-high eight in a row.

Derrek Lee added two hits and is batting .392 (20 for 51) in his last 14 games. The veteran first baseman, however, is 2 for 12 against Cincinnati this season.

The Cubs could have right fielder Milton Bradley available after he missed Wednesday's game with a strained right calf.

"We feel that he is going to be available to pinch-hit," Piniella said of Bradley, who is hitting .220.

Cincinnati (28-25) took two of three at Chicago from April 21-23. The Cubs opened that set with a 7-2 win against Micah Owings (3-6, 5.10), who allowed five runs and walked four in 4 2-3 innings.

Owings is 0-2 with a 4.30 ERA in three starts versus Chicago.

The right-hander, who is 0-2 with an 8.56 ERA in his last three starts, allowed five runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-2 loss at Milwaukee on Sunday.

The Reds fell 3-1 at St. Louis on Thursday to split that four-game set. Cincinnati finished 2-5 on a road trip against the NL Central co-leaders that also had it swept by Milwaukee in a three-game series.

"You got to move on. You got no choice," Reds manager Dusty Baker said.

Laynce Nix homered for the third time in two games and is 6 for 13 with eight RBIs in his last four games.

Jay Bruce, meanwhile, went 1 for 27 (.037) on the trip. Though Bruce is batting .212 and hitless in his last 17 at-bats, he's 5 for 12 (.417) with two homers and four RBIs against the Cubs this season.

Cincinnati, which has won a season-high four straight at home, went 4-2 versus Chicago there in 2008.