Zambrano tossed after tirade, but Cubs top Pirates

[May 28, 2009]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Carlos Zambrano went wild in a ball-tossing, bat-swinging tirade after being ejected, and was gone when Reed Johnson hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning that sent the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 Wednesday.

The Cubs ace was tossed by umpire Mark Carlson in the seventh after Nyjer Morgan scored the tying run on a wild pitch, beating catcher Geovany Soto's throw to Zambrano at the plate.

Zambrano jumped up, argued the call and appeared to nudge Carlson. The excitable right-hander then pointed in Carlson's face and gave him the ejection sign.

Zambrano wasn't finished, either. He threw a ball into left field, slammed his glove against a fence and grabbed a bat to whack the cooler in the dugout.

This was the second time a Cubs pitcher was ejected in the series. Ted Lilly was tossed Monday night for complaining about a ball-strike call in a game in which he wasn't pitching.

Zambrano allowed seven hits and a pair of runs with three walks and six strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings. He got a no-decision, rather than his 100th career win.

Johnson hit a solo homer off Jesse Chavez (0-2) for a 3-2 lead. The Cubs added two more runs in the inning on RBI doubles by Andres Blanco and Jake Fox, two players just called up from the minors Wednesday.

Carlos Marmol (1-1) worked the eighth. Kevin Gregg pitched the ninth for his seventh save in eight chances.

Pirates starter Zach Duke gave up two runs and eight hits in seven innings.

In his second start since coming off the disabled list with a hamstring strain, Zambrano held the Pirates to a run through six innings.

But with the Cubs ahead 2-1, Morgan led off the seventh with a single and raced to third when the ball got by left fielder Alfonso Soriano for a two-base error.

When Zambrano's wild pitch got a short distance away from Soto, Morgan raced home. The Cubs got a pair of runs in first off Duke as Milton Bradley hit an RBI triple after Ryan Theriot's single.

After Derrek Lee walked, Duke was ready to escape the inning when Johnson hit a hard grounder to short, a perfect double play ball. But Delwyn Young, making just his third start this season at second base, uncorked a wild relay to first as Bradley scored.

The Pirates got their run in the fourth when Adam LaRoche singled, moved up on Andy LaRoche's infield out and scored on Ramon Vazquez's two-out RBI single, a soft liner over third baseman Ryan Freel's head.

Notes: Pittsburgh finished its 10-game road trip 5-5, going 3-1 against the Nationals and 1-2 against both the White Sox and Cubs during their nearly weeklong stay in Chicago. ... Freel left the game after the bottom of the fourth with a strained left hamstring. ... Pirates closer Matt Capps, who was hit in the pitching elbow by a line drive off Soto's bat Monday, played catch Wednesday and could throw on the side Thursday, manager John Russell said.

[Associated Press; By RICK GANO]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.