Zambrano tirade precedes big rally

CHICAGO — Carlos Zambrano went on a tirade after being ejected, and was gone when Reed Johnson hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning that lifted Chicago over Pittsburgh, 5-2, on Wednesday.

Zambrano was ejected by Mark Carlson in the seventh inning after Nyjer Morgan scored the tying run on a wild pitch, beating catcher Geovany Soto’s throw to Zambrano at the plate.

Zambrano jumped up, argued the call and appeared to nudge the umpire. He then threw a ball into left field, slammed his glove against a fence and grabbed a bat to whack a drink dispenser on his way to the clubhouse.

Johnson’s home run gave Chicago a 3-2 lead. The Cubs added two runs in the inning on doubles by Andres Blanco and Jake Fox, who were called up from the minors before the game.