Carlos Zambrano makes one of his biggest starts of the 2009 MLB schedule tonight against the Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.  The Cubs are in a virtual tie with the St. Louis Cardinals for 1st place in the NL Central.  In the NL Wild Card race, the Cubs are 2 games behind the San Francisco Giants and 1 game behind the Rockies.  Given how bottled-up everything is, it would be great if the Cubs could put some much-needed distance between the Cubs and the Rockies right now in August.

Zambrano left his last start after just 3 innings in Florida because of back tightness.  He is 2-0 with a 3.07 ERA in his last 3 starts, but he has never won at Coors Field – he has a career 0-2 record with a 4.12 ERA.  Big Z and the Cubs will face Ubaldo Jimenez on Friday night.  Jimenez has won 2 straight games, but is 0-3 with a 7.27 ERA lifetime against the Cubs.

Should be a topsy-turvy series in the hitter-friendly Coors Field.  Buckle your seat belts and root for the Pirates to win a game or two against the Cardinals back in Pittsburgh…