Zambrano hitting Cubs to playoffs

Who says pitchers can't hit?

Carlos Zambrano has defied those odds this season, batting .361 with 4 home runs after single-handedly winning Thursday's afternoon tilt with the Reds.

Zambrano held Cincy to just 1 ER and smacked a HR as the Cubs won 3-2 and increased their lead in the NL Central to 5 1/2 games.

Zambrano also has a 12-game hitting streak and has pinch hit on several occasions for the Men in Blue.

Perhaps someday, fantasy baseball will evolve to a point where pitcher's hitting stats will count, but until then, the only real value a good-hitting pitcher gives you is possible an extra couple wins throughout a season with a little extra run support.

Zambrano, never one to be labeled level-headed, seems to think of himself as a legitimate .300-plus hitter, as evidence of his temper that flares up sometimes when he whiffs.

Here's one where he got caught on a check swing against Roy Oswalt, and promptly broke his bat over his knee.  Snap. It's quickly becoming a Zambrano staple.