TUCSON -- In a strange quirk of fate, the Cubs' bus ride from Mesa to Tucson on Monday lasted longer than the actual game.
The Cubs lost 5-2 to Colorado in only two hours and four minutes, despite four solid innings from starter Carlos Zambrano, who also had an RBI double.
Zambrano called his performance "Brandon Webb style."
"Hopefully I can pitch like this the whole season," he said. "Like (Greg) Maddux used to say, it's better to have movement than velocity. Don't get me wrong, velocity is good."
He left with a 2-1 lead, but the Cubs reliever gave up a pair of runs in the sixth and seventh innings while Jeff Francis and the Rockies bullpen held the Cubs to five hits overall.
Zambrano was on the team bus coming down, when the engine shut down about 70 miles north of Tucson. His cousin was following the team bus in his car, so Zambrano and Koyie Hill got out and went the rest of the way in the car while the other players waited for the bus to get fixed.
"Thank God the bus came on time and we played this game today, because we need every game of spring training to be ready for the season," Zambrano said. "We already had a cancelled game from the rain."
Assuming the Cubs' bus makes it back to Mesa without breaking down, they'll play Texas on Tuesday at HoHoKam Park, before enjoying their first and last off day of the spring.
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