As Zambrano Improves, So Will Cubs
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The Chicago Cubs have 161 games to turn it around.
So, how important was that one game?
In the grand scheme of things, it would be like saying Mindy Lawton, Tiger Woods’ first piece of extra-marital tail, was the girl that turned El Tigre into a jungle cat in the sack.
Tuesday must have been a difficult day for Cubs fans with nothing to do but to stew in the juices of a demoralizing 16-5 defeat on Opening Day in Atlanta in a game that reminded me of one of one of my collegiate dating experiences.
I’ll mark this down as Marlon Byrd’s first-AB home run off Derek Lowe as a good first kiss, while the six-run bottom of the first was the point in which I realized the bitch was batshit crazy.
Again, let’s search for some perspective.
Carlos Zambrano has never finished the season with an earned run average above the 4.00 mark despite owning a 5.18 earned run average in his previous six Opening Day starts.
Now that Opening Day is clearly in our rearview mirrors, it should be a smooth ride from here on out for Big Z, right?
Well, kind of.
Zambrano’s worse month is April, where he owns a career record of 15-10, which is not bad, but the 1.422 WHIP, 30 home runs and 4.34 ERA leave much to be desired. Still, the 15-10 record must be some sort of sign that he battles through his early season ruts to be productive enough to end the season’s first month with a record above .500.
Right?
Well, yeah. Because when May rolls around, Zambrano finds a way to shake off the rust. He owns a 16-10 record, a 2.60 ERA, while the WHIP falls to 1.150. Also, his strikeouts-per-nine ratio jumps to 8.1 and the strikeout-to-walk ratio improves to 2.19-to-1, while the BAbip (Batting Average of balls in play) drops from .301 to .258.
July is clearly Big Z season as he has 27 wins in 45 career starts from July 1 through July 31. In a time where balls jump off bats, Big Z saws off batters to the tune of a .216 batting average, .303 on-base percentage and .305 slugging percentage.
The only month that should concern Cubs fans more than April is August, which is the only month where Zambrano has a record which features more losses than wins. Big Z is a career 12-18 in 41 career August starts with a 4.47 ERA, 1.414 WHIP and a .295 BAbip.
Maybe he’s got something against months that start with the letter “A” … or maybe I’m just grasping for straws.
In either case, if Zambrano’s track record is any indication, he has approximately 30 starts to make Cubdom forget about a 54.00 ERA.
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