PHOENIX -- Losing 15 pounds in the offseason has already been paying off for Carlos Zambrano.
The trimmer Cubs' ace allowed three runs over five innings Tuesday, but got them all back and then some himself with a three-run homer in the second and an RBI double in the fourth to help Chicago roll to a 12-3 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Zambrano capped a four-run inning with his home run to left field off Randy Wolf, then got him again with a double off the wall in the fourth. He said running the bases felt easier -- no small consideration for a pitcher who hit .337 with 14 RBI and a .557 slugging percentage last year.
"Sometime you get lucky when the pitcher hangs you a breaking ball and you hit it good," Zambrano said. "But my main job is pitching. I was feeling good today and I did my main job. The four runs I drove in won't be in the season records, but the five innings will help me to be ready."
Catcher Koyie Hill added a two-run homer for the Cubs, who had 17 hits. Wolf, expected to be the No. 3 starter for the Dodgers, had allowed only two runs in his previous four appearances combined before being shelled for seven earned runs and 10 hits.
"He made some bad pitches," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "He got some pitches up. He hasn't been doing that."
The game was played before a Cactus League record crowd of 13,046 at the new Ballpark at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. But the mark might stand for only a few days -- the Cubs return here for a meeting with the White Sox on Saturday and nearly 13,000 tickets have already been sold.
The Dodgers played without slugger Manny Ramirez, who is out until at least early next week with tightness in the left hamstring. Torre said before the game it was a mistake to put Ramirez in the outfield when he was already experiencing some pain and he will be restricted to hitting when he first returns to exhibition play.
"I don't think he needs to play left field in every game he plays, no question," Torre said. "And if I had it to do all over again, I would have DH-ed him a few more days."
Ramirez, who won't play again until the soreness is completely gone, took part in the hitting portion of the morning workout Tuesday. His running was restricted to pool work and it will remain so for three or four more days.
"He's frustrated, but he understands," Torre said. "I told him if he plays a week or 10 days of baseball games, you should be fine. It's bothering him because he wants to play. He feels well enough to. His body is telling him otherwise when he tries to exert himself -- but he's not going to stand there in left field and not run after the ball."
Notes
Zambrano said he is in the final stages of earning his American citizenship and plans to live permanently in the U.S. ... Cubs OF Milton Bradley missed his second successive day with the flu and did not make the trip. Cubs 1B Derrek Lee was a scratch just before game time with sore right quadriceps LHP James McDonald, now in the mix by default for the No. 5 spot in the Dodgers rotation, didn't help his cause while allowing four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. ... The Dodgers lowered their roster to 48 players Tuesday, optioning INF Tony Abreu, LHP Victor Garate, LHP Brent Leach, RHP Jesus Castillo, C Lucas May and RHP Travis Schlichting. INF Ivan DeJesus Jr., who will miss at least four months with a broken leg, was also optioned. ... The Cubs shaved their roster to 45, optioning RHPs Mitch Atkins, Justin Berg and Jeff Stevens to Triple-A Iowa and RHP Marcos Mateo to Double-A Tennessee. Five non-roster invitees were assigned to minor league camp: C Welington Castillo, INF Darwin Barney, INF Luis Rivas, OF Doug Deeds and OF Jason Dubois.
