CHICAGO — Now the Chicago Cubs are really getting beat up — by each other.

Carlos Zambrano and catcher Michael Barrett shoved each other in the dugout, then the pitcher busted his teammate's lip in the clubhouse so badly that Barrett wound up with stitches

Oh yeah, the Cubs lost again, 8-5, to the Atlanta Braves yesterday.

"I only have so many players that I can play. You know?" manager Lou Piniella said during a postgame media session with reporters. "And it's about time some of them start playing like major leaguers! Or, get somebody else in here that can catch the damn ball or run the bases properly! All right? That's all I can say!"

Both players will be disciplined today, according to the manager.

Atlanta had just scored five runs in the top of the fifth to increase its lead to 7-1. Jeff Francoeur's two-run double made it 4-1 and, with runners on first and second, Barrett allowed a passed ball and threw wildly to third for an error that let Scott Thorman score. Pitcher Kyle Davies (3-3) and Kelly Johnson followed with RBI doubles.

Zambrano (5-5) was seen pointing at his head and yelling at the catcher in the dugout before the bottom half, while Barrett pointed toward the outfield or scoreboard and said something back. Zambrano then took a swipe at Barrett's head and the two exchanged brief blows before being separated.

Piniella told Zambrano, who gave up 13 hits, while pitching on his 26th birthday, to take a shower and go home.

Chicago has lost nine of 11 and is 22-30 — not exactly the start the Cubs were looking for after spending $300 million to bring in Piniella along with free agents Alfonso Soriano, Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis.