And it came because Chicago's manager wanted to bring his ace back on three days' rest should there be a Game 4.
"I'm keeping the door open that he can pitch Sunday," Piniella had said before the game. "That means we won't let Zambrano throw all that many pitches."
Sinkerballer Brandon Webb, who struck out nine, got the victory with seven strong innings. After Reynolds' homer and pinch-hitter Conor Jackson's sacrifice fly in the seventh, Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin could comfortably lift Webb.
Piniella figures to be grilled about his decision right up until the start of tonight's Game 2, when Chicago's Ted Lilly will face the Diamondbacks' Doug Davis.
"We'll shorten him up," Piniella had said of Zambrano earlier, "100 pitches, whatever it is. We've got a good bullpen. We believe in it."
The bitter Game 1 loss to an Arizona team whose lineup is filled with no-names undoubtedly lessened the belief of Cubs fans. This was just one more of the many misfortunes that have affected their team in the 62 years since their last World Series appearance, the 99 years since their last championship.
After Reynolds' leadoff homer in the seventh, Marmol walked Chris Snyder, then yielded a double to Augie Ojeda and Jackson's sacrifice fly.
Jose Valverde pitched the ninth to pick up the save.
If it weren't nearly 100 degrees outside, if the surroundings weren't more moonscape than landscape, and if this massive, sliding-roofed, swimming pool-equipped stadium weren't the antithesis of Wrigley Field, you might think you were in Chicago.
Downtown Phoenix was teeming yesterday with Cubs fans who flocked to the plaza outside Chase Field hours before the start of the game.
Diamondbacks officials estimated that as many as 10,000 Cubs fans - many of them relocated retirees or those accustomed to coming here for training camp - were in the sellout crowd of 48,864.
It sounded like more.
