"Wherever the Cubs and Carlos Zambrano go from here, Z-weary players left in the wake of his latest me-first moment seem fine with making sure it's in different directions.

Even before Randy Wells and the bullpen pitched the Cubs to an 8-4 victory Saturday night over the Atlanta Braves, the positive vibe in the clubhouse was apparent on the day the club put Zambrano on baseball's disqualified list.

''I think the guys in here are pretty upbeat today,'' pitcher Ryan Dempster said. ''He's made his bed; he's got to sleep in it. For us, we'll just go out there and give our best tonight and move forward. The faster you move forward, the faster things get better.''

Assuming the Cubs follow through on plans to move the enigmatic Zambrano, who has been more ache than ace for the Cubs since being given a $91.5 million extension in 2007, they'll create one more hole to fill in a roster area already short on depth.

But if the quality of the clubhouse means anything — not to mention somebody such as Wells stepping up — then shedding Zambrano could be the Cubs' top addition-by-subtraction move since the Milton Bradley trade two years ago.

''It's not like it's something new,'' said Dempster, who doesn't expect Zambrano to pitch again for the team. ''It's been one after another. We've learned to deal with it pretty good. .?.?.

''We'll worry about our guys we've got today and go out there and have a good time, and, who knows, maybe it'll be best for both sides.''

When Zambrano cleaned out his locker and quit on his team during the game Friday, it was just the latest in a long line of unprofessional, bad-teammate moments that have worn thin on longtime teammates — from punching out his catcher, Michael Barrett, in 2007, to taking on team leader Derrek Lee in a dugout altercation at U.S. Cellular Field last season."