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Zambrano, Cubs look to move closer to first place

Jul 29, 2007 - 2:14 PM Chicago Cubs (54-48) at Cincinnati (45-60) 1:15 pm EDT

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- The Chicago Cubs are creeping up on first place. Carlos Zambrano is a big reason why.

Zambrano takes the mound in search of his major league-leading 14th win as the Cubs will try and take the rubber game of a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

Zambrano (13-7, 3.65 ERA) has been the best pitcher in baseball for nearly two months, winning each of his last three starts and six of his last seven.

The 6-5, 255-pound righthander is a major league-best 8-2 with a 1.65 ERA since June 6. In his last start, Zambrano beat the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, limiting them to two runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 4-3 victory.

The Cubs snapped a two-game losing streak with an 8-1 victory on Saturday. Alfonso Soriano hit a pair of home runs and Sean Marshall threw six strong innings as Chicago improved to a major league-best 32-17 since June 3. With its latest win, Chicago closed within 1 1/2 games of the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central Division.

Matt Belisle (5-7, 5.28) takes the mound for Cincinnati, which had a three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday and lost ace Aaron Harang to an injury. Harang left in the first inning with lower-back soreness.

As for Belisle, he is winless in his last nine starts. The righthander has not won since beating the Houston Astros on May 29. Belisle was touched up for four runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings in a 5-3 loss to Milwaukee on Tuesday.