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Zambrano, Cubs face Webb, Diamondbacks in Game One of NLDS

Oct 3, 2007 - 2:08 PM Chicago at Arizona 10:00 pm EDT National League Division Series Game One

PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Carlos Zambrano and the Chicago Cubs survived a celebrated dugout fight, a managerial blowup and a lengthy loss of their highest-priced free agent, yet here they are in the playoffs.

Zambrano and the Cubs hope for a quick start in Game One of their best-of-five National League Division Series tilt against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Chicago is making its second postseason appearance in the last five years after holding off the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Central Division crown in the last week of the regular season.

The Cubs (85-77), who had the worst record in the National League in 2006, started off poorly in 2007 as well. In the midst of a season-long, six-game losing streak, Zambrano and departed catcher Michael Barrett got into a highly publicized brawl that continued into the clubhouse in an 8-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves on June 1.

A day later against Atlanta, manager Lou Piniella's targeted blowup at an umpire helped lead to Chicago's sixth straight defeat, 5-3. However, the Cubs went on to win five of their next six games, and posted a 52-38 mark since June 23, the best record in the NL.

"I think it's overrated," Piniella said. "I think my situation and the situation with the fight, I think that it happens to a lot of teams, it really does. I don't see either situation being too responsible for anything."

Zambrano, who dropped to 5-5 after that loss on June 1, went 13-8 the rest of the way to set a personal career high in victories with 18. The big righthander, who had a minor setback in the month of August by going 0-4 with 7.06 ERA, anchored a pitching staff that led the majors in strikeouts for the seventh consecutive season.

"I think you have to know yourself," Zambrano said. "I know myself; I know what I can do."

Zambrano will have to do better against Arizona than his career stats suggest, going 1-2, 4.88 ERA in four starts. His postseason record could also be better as well, as he went 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three postseason starts from 2003.

Against Arizona, Chicago will depend on a lineup that belted a franchise-record 45 homers in September. The spark in the batting order is Alfonso Soriano, who missed 23 days in August due to a strained right quad.

However, once the All-Star left fielder returned, he drilled 14 home runs in September, including a major league-record seven leadoff shots.

Signed to a seven-year, $136 million contract in the offseason, Soriano led the Cubs with 33 homers.

The Diamondbacks (90-72), who led the NL in victories, sends Brandon Webb to the mound.

Webb, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, went 18-10 with 3.10 ERA. The ace of the Arizona staff also reached a career high in wins, and also tacked on a streak of 42 consecutive scoreless innings during the season as well.

The righthander, who finished third in the majors in ERA, has been fairly successful vs. Chicago, going 4-1 with a 2.53 ERA in seven career starts.

Webb is one of the leaders of a club that was outscored 732-712, and became the first team since the 1906 Chicago White Sox (.246) to have the best record in the league despite the worst batting average (.250).

Another reason Arizona has been cast as the underdog is that just three members of the 25-man roster have ever participated in postseason play.

"I haven't been in any postseason, not even in minor leagues have I had this opportunity," Webb said. "It's something new to me as well as new to a lot of the guys in our clubhouse. But I'm going to take it just like a game that I would go out and pitch during the regular season. I'm going to go out and attack and execute regular pitches."

Despite the inexperience, Arizona comes in with a slight edge, winning four of six games against Chicago this season.