CHICAGO – About an hour before Sunday's game with San Francisco, Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano tapped strength and conditioning coordinator Tim Buss on the shoulder and shouted "Let's go, I need to take some ground balls at first!"

The lineup card had not yet been posted in the clubhouse, but it was a pretty safe bet Zambrano would not be penciled in at first even with Derrek Lee taking every third day off and John Mabry nursing a stiff back.

Still, with the way this season has gone for the Cubs, anything is possible – even Zambrano playing the field. The Cubs placed Michael Barrett on the disabled list before Sunday's series finale after he had surgery to stop bleeding in his groin area; sent catcher Henry Blanco out to play first for only the second time in his career; replaced starter Angel Guzman after the pitcher's right forearm cramped; and took Jacque Jones out because an infected tear duct in his left eye swelled enough that he could not see.

The Cubs (55-81) led, 3-1, heading into the fifth and appeared, makeshift lineup and all, on their way to getting Guzman his first major league win.

"That's the sad part for me because I was helping the team," said Guzman, who has been plagued by this problem before, one the Cubs' medical staff thinks has to do with dehydration.

Michael Wuertz replaced Guzman, and Vizquel welcomed him with a two-run triple to tie the game. The next hitter, Shea Hillenbrand, connected on a two-run homer to make it 5-3.

The Cubs threatened in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with one out. Lee, who plays two days and sits the third since coming off the DL, entered as a pinch hitter and came up with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 6-4. But the rally was cut short when Ronny Cedeno was thrown out at second while trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt.

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