Cubs' Pitching Staff Commanded by the Carlos'

In the past month, the Cubs have begun to figure things out thanks to the phenomenal pitching of starter Carlos Zambrano and reliever Carlos Marmol

Both have nasty stuff. Both are intimidating on the mound. Both are named Carlos.

Since June 1, Carlos Zambrano has truly begun a "new season," while Carlos Marmol has been lights out since he was brought up from Triple-A on May 18.

The fiery, intense, and hard-throwing Carlos Zambrano is beginning to live up to his prediction that he would win the NL Cy-Young this year. In his last four starts since June 1 and the Michael Barrett scuffle, Zambrano is 3-1 with 1.14 ERA. His most recent start came yesterday against the White Sox in which he went eight strong innings, struck out 12, gave up one earned run, and walked only one. Yesterday's game was Big Z at his best. Zambrano's stuff was electric with his breaking balls falling off the plate and fastball hitting as high as 95 mph. Big Z will look to continue his dominance Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies in which he will get to bat again. If his brilliance on the bump isn't enough, Zambrano is batting .273 with two homers, four RBI's, and nine runs scored.

When Zambrano ever needs some help he needs to look no further than his good friend Carlos Marmol. Marmol has been simply magnificent since his recall on May 18 from Des Moines. Marmol has comprised a mind-blowing 0.96 ERA in 18.2 innings with 24 strikeouts and has only given up 10 hits. His slider has been nasty and he locates his fastball beautifully. Last season, Marmol went 5-7 with a 6.08 ERA, but it is clear he learned a lot about himself and his abilities since then.

With the Carlos' dominating, the Cubs finally are getting back on track at 34-39 with a chance to sweep the South Siders tomorrow at U.S. Cellular Field. Marmol did a solid job today, while Zambrano had a superb performance yesterday. Expect to see Marmol if Cubs starter Sean Marshall struggles at all tomorrow.

Together, they are commanding and leading the Cubs' pitching staff to consistency. If Zambrano continues his dominance expect him to be in the running for the NL Cy-Young award. However, let's hope his other prediction of a Cubs World Series victory comes true as well. Regardless, the Carlos' will be there the whole way leading the pitching staff back to excellence.