Carlos Zambrano appears to be back. Not with his Tasmanian Devil antics but with his ability to dominate from the mound.

Chicago Cubs fans who sat out a 70-minute rain delay on Tuesday, saw the grounds crew cover and uncover the field twice but also witnessed a much more effective, relaxed and focused Carlos Zambrano.

Earlier in the season after being suspended by the Cubs for a violent outburst, Zambrano was ordered to see MLB approved doctors for his anger issues.

Now months later, Z suddenly looks like a successful product of “anger management” therapy. On Tuesday, he was 10 strikeouts away from passing Charley Root on the Cubs all-time strikeout list before taking the mound. He went after that record pitching six scoreless innings and fanning 8, just two short of his goal.

The Cubs lost the game to the San Francisco Giants 1-0 but the old Z may have been visibly upset with that outcome. The new Z took it in stride and said all the right things following the game:

“The Cubs pay me to win and the fans want me to win and I only have nine wins. For me, it’s another disappointing season. The most important thing is I have my confidence back and I will be back next year with the same attitude and the same passion for the game and ready to do some damage.”

Manager Mike Quade couldn’t help but notice the calm demeanor calmness that Zambrano has exhibited since his return.

“He’s a guy who’s passionate about pitching and pitches with passion but maybe he’s channeling it a little differently,” Quade said. “Whether he’s doing that in his mind, I don’t know. When you see results like he’s given us the last five, six weeks, all you can do is speculate on why that’s happened and how important that is to him. From my point of view, it’s very important.

“I’m real happy with the guy I’ve seen and I have no reason to doubt that’s the guy I’ll continue to see.”

While Zambrano may have been put on some sort of medication to help with his anger issues, the good news from home may be helping cause the effect. According to Carrie Muskat, Zambrano’s nephew who had been in a coma in Venezuela celebrated his 12th birthday at home. In addition to that, Zambrano’s mother is said to have obtained her Visa to come to the states and see Z play. Zambrano expects to see her when he starts a game in Houston in the near future.

Now the question is. After much trade speculation, will Zambrano remain in a Cubs uniform next season?

Used with permission of the author.

Miriam Romain is a Chicago-based sportswriter and national columnist covering the Chicago Cubs for Examiner.com. The Windy City native is also the Associate Editor for SBNation Chicago and has been published in the Maple Street Press Cubs annuals. In her free time, Romain is working on a book titled “Summers At Wrigley With My Dad.”

Copyright © 2010 Sports Climax, LLC