ST. LOUIS—Carlos Zambrano may no longer be the Cubs’ stopper, but he played the role Saturday in a ballpark where he’s had a lot of success.Zambrano won for the first time since his banishment for a dugout tantrum in June, helping the Cubs win for just the third time in 17 games, 3-2 over St. Louis, snapping the Cardinals’ four-game winning streak.Aramis Ramirez homered on the first pitch he saw after missing three games with sore ribs, and was 2 for 4. Derrek Lee also hit a solo home run for the Cubs.Chris Carpenter (13-4) gave up three runs in six innings. He was 4-0 with a 1.79 ERA over his previous six starts. Zambrano (4-6) allowed seven hits in 5 2/3 innings, struck out three and walked two. He is 5-0 with a 1.85 ERA for his career at the new Busch Stadium.Carlos Marmol got the final five outs for the save, his 20th in 24 chances but his first since July 26.St. Louis manager Tony La Russa watched from a private box as he finished up a two-game suspension for his role in a brawl Tuesday at Cincinnati.Zambrano has had a tough year — a 5.46 ERA entering the game and a dugout blowup with Lee on June 25 that led to the Cubs placing him on the restricted list. He was solid in his return start at San Francisco on Monday, allowing two runs in five innings in a no-decision, and better Saturday.Zambrano said he felt more comfortable this time.Zambrano struck out Colby Rasmus three times and cooled off one of baseball’s hottest teams — St. Louis had scored at least four runs every game this month and was hitting .306 for August coming into the game.Carpenter is certainly used to the stifling heat and humidity of a St. Louis summer, but admittedly struggled on a 93-degree day with a heat index of 107 degrees. TV showed him in the dugout after the third inning with a wet towel draped over his head, and he said that the heat initially took a toll.The two Cardinals aces — Carpenter and Adam Wainwright — were a combined 20-2 at Busch Stadium this season. Carpenter was 9-2 with a 2.75 ERA at home before Saturday. He allowed six hits, struck out three and walked none.The Cardinals scored in the first on a single by John Jay, a double by Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday’s sacrifice fly.Ramirez hit the first pitch of the second inning 408 feet for a homer, his 17th, into the Cubs bullpen in left field. The Cubs added another run in the second on Koyie Hill’s RBI single.Lee hit his 14th homer with two outs in the third.St. Louis missed a two-out chance in the fifth when Holliday grounded out with the bases loaded. The Cardinals cut the margin to 3-2 in the sixth on a two-out single by Skip Schumaker, a wild pitch and a single by pinch-hitter Randy Winn.The Cardinals had one last chance in the ninth when Aaron Miles led off with an infield single and went to second on Ramirez’s throwing error. But Brendan Ryan popped out trying to bunt, Felipe Lopez fouled out and Allen Craig struck out.
NOTES—Lopez was 0 for 4 and is 2 for 32 since Aug. 6…..The Cubs have used 15 rookies this season, tied with Detroit for the most in baseball….The sellout crowd of 46,313 was the second-largest of the season at Busch, behind only opening day…..Kosuke Fukudome made a strong over-the-shoulder catch as he slammed into the right-field wall to rob Holliday of a fourth-inning hit….Pujols was 2 for 4 but failed to score a run for the first time in 12 games.