Zambrano delivers Z-clincher
CINCINNATI -- Carlos Zambrano has traveled a road littered with potholes this season.
But the guy who along the way fought Michael Barrett in the dugout, failed to win a game in July when he lost focus because of contract negotiations and later ripped the fans at Wrigley Field for booing him, arrived at Friday night with a chance to pitch the Cubs to a division title.
And Zambrano delivered in a lights-out performance at Great American Ballpark. Zambrano worked 7 shutout innings, allowing only 6 singles, as the Cubs blanked the Reds 6-0 to claim the National League Central crown when the Brewers lost 6-3 to San Diego a little later.
"We needed a good ballgame from our ace and we got it, 7 really good innings of baseball," manager Lou Piniella said.
"Everybody came up with the big hit to win this game," Zambrano said. "This was a most important game today and we did it."
Zambrano finished with a team-best 18 victories, earned amid seemingly one controversy after another.
"If you take my ERA (3.95) and my losses (13), and just count the wins that I have this year, 18 is good," Zambrano said. "I just want to thank God for this season and now we're almost in the playoffs and we want to do a lot of good things."
Zambrano threw 6 shutout innings Sunday against Pittsburgh, making it 13 in a row when the Cubs needed it most.
"I think I've been throwing more strikes and been able to make my pitches and just go out there and have fun," Zambrano said. "My last 2 starts I just think about do my job and whatever happened, happened. I just tried stay calm and make my pitches and do my job."
Zambrano's next start will be Wednesday in Game 1 of the playoffs to be played somewhere on the road. He would be in line to start Game 1 and Game 5, which couldn't work out any better for the Cubs.
Zambrano has a record of 0-1 in the postseason. He started once in the 2003 division series against Atlanta and gave up 3 runs on 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings of a no-decision.
Zambrano started twice in the NLCS against Florida and was 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA.
"I'm ready and I'm excited," Zambrano said. "After I went to the playoffs in '03, I'm thirsty and hungry for that first game. Now that I have experience and more time in the big leagues, I think I can play better in the playoffs."
Zambrano was staked to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Alfonso Soriano led off with his 13th home run in September.
Soriano also made a key defensive play in the fourth inning with the Cubs ahead 2-0 when he threw out Joey Votto at the play with a perfect strike from left field. It was Soriano's 19th assist this season, tying Hank Sauer's 1951 record for outfielders.
"I don't know why people keep running on him," Zambrano said.
The Cubs finally won on this road trip after dropping three games in Florida and hearing the Marlins say how they felt the Cubs played tight.
"I was sick of hearing it," Zambrano said.