Z5

Zambrano finished fifth in the NL Cy Young voting (as he did in '04 and '06).

Big Z ended the 2007 campaign with 18 wins. However, he also notched 13 losses and career highs for runs (100), earned runs (95), home runs (23) and ERA for a season with more than 7 starts (3.95). Z also gained a decision in 31 of his 34 starts, a solid 6 1/3 innings per start.

Despite a rough start and an even rougher August, Zambrano posted a 4-2 record and 2.53 ERA in June and a sizzling 5-1, 1.38 in July that was a primary contributing factor in the Cubs surge back into the NL Central race. The stretch included a 3-start block where Carlos went 8, 9, and 8 innings, respectively and gave the bullpen a much needed break.

Sometimes maddeningly inconsistent (as was the case for the entire team), Zambrano also provided glimpses of the fire and brilliance fans have come to love, including a .247 batting average, a .346 slugging percentage and a .980 fielding percentage while sprinkling in 9 runs and 5 RBIs.