The Cubs will know more Friday about ace right-hander Carlos Zambrano, but the bottom line is that Zambrano will miss Tuesday's start against Baltimore and probably one more after that.
Zambrano left Wednesday's start against the Rays after 6 2/3 innings because of "discomfort" in his right shoulder. The 27-year-old Zambrano, who has no history of serious injury, was examined by team physician Stephen Gryzlo Thursday and will undergo an MRI arthrogram Friday to determine the cause of the discomfort. The Cubs said Zambrano did not have the arthrogram Thursday because he didn't fly to Chicago until Thursday morning and had to have the doctor's exam.
Zambrano experienced neck stiffness last month, but the Cubs said the two ailments are not related.
If the Cubs have to put Zambrano on the disabled list, they're likely to recall left-hander Sean Marshall from Class AAA Iowa next week.
RAYS 8, CUBS 3: A rare bullpen implosion led to the Rays scoring seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to wipe out a 3-1 Cubs lead. Setup men Carlos Marmol hit two batters and walked two, and Scott Eyre gave up a grand slam to Carl Crawford. That wasted a quality start by Sean Gallagher, who worked six innings and gave up only one unearned run. The Cubs suffered their first three-game losing streak of the season.
