Carlos Zambrano Placed on Disabled List

· Steele: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/06/curt-flood-an-extraordinary-man-of-principle-and-conviction/">Man of Conviction | <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/06/hank-greenberg-could-relate-to-flood/">Greenberg Relates
· Moore: Flood's Peers Owe Him Apology
· Blackistone: <a href="http://kevin-blackistone.fanhouse.com/2009/10/06/curt-flood-belongs-in-the-hall-of-fame/">Cooperstown Should Open Doors
· Fletcher: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/06/curt-flood-a-hero-to-todays-players-those-who-know-his-name/">Modern Players Know Little of Flood
· Stradley: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/06/for-curt-flood-antitrust-meant-exactly-that-at-supreme-court/">Antitrust Meant Just That

The Chicago Cubs lost quite a bit on Friday night. They lost their game against the Colorado Rockies 6-2, and with it, they also lost the lead in the NL Central as they fell a game out of first place. Of course, a game isn't all that hard to make up. What is hard to replace is the ace of your staff, and the Cubs will have to do just that.

Carlos Zambrano pulled himself out of his start on Friday night just 15 minutes before the Cubs were supposed to take on Colorado because of a lower back injury. An injury that has Zambrano on his way back to Chicago for an MRI on Sunday.

A day after activating catcher Geovany Soto, the Cubs placed right-hander Carlos Zambrano on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with muscle spasms in his back. The move is retroactive to Aug. 2.

It's Zambrano's second trip to the disabled list this season. He was out in May with a left hamstring strain.

Zambrano also had to leave his last start against the Florida Marlins on August 1 because of a stiff back.

This is not good news for the Cubs, though it has become somewhat par for the course this season. While they haven't been as ravaged by injuries as the New York Mets, they've had more than their fair share, particularly in their starting rotation.

It seems that as soon as they get somebody back from the disabled list this season, there's somebody ready to jump on and take their place. It's a trend that is going to continue to make it more and more difficult to keep pace with the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central race.