being a strikeout pitcher means throwing more pitches than a contact pitcher. I think it will benefit him in the long run, season and career. He knows he can still strike people out when he needs to.

Wish he’d have known that the last three years. When he first burst onto the scene in 2003, his best games were when his sinker was working and he was getting groundouts. He’s gone back to that style this year and that’s why he’s had the success he has.

Keep up the good work.

But I think that mad him throw a bit too many pitches.

I think Z finally realized that an out is an out. Doesn’t matter if it’s a K or a ground out. Like the original poster said, when he was striking batters out, his walks were way up. He isn’t striking out as many, but he isn’t walking as many either, which is a good thing. He could still let the ball rip when he needs to but I prefer this Zambrano to the old one.

Let's go for 10 in a row at home tonight!!!

Z is not a power pitcher and as Daver said, Z said earlier this year that he is consciously throwing his “fastball” slower to get more movement on it.

I Z needs the strikeout, he can still rear back and throw the ball in the mid-90s, but he doesn’t have to do that to get outs. Z is move valuable to us when he is in the game pitching and his currently philosophy is allowing him to stay in games longer, thankfully.

as long as we get the win.

To wit -

1. Maddux was one of the top 10 strikeout pitchers in the NL in nine seasons, and ranks second among active players in career strikeouts (eleventh all-time). Maddux was a very good strikeout pitcher in his prime.

2. Maddux’s amazing control allowed him to do this without issuing many walks; he has the third lowest career walk rate among active players.

As for Carlos – Z is still a power pitcher, he’s just economizing more. His ability to dominate a hitter allows him to get out of jams more often than some trash-heap ground ball pitcher (like, oh, Jason Marquis).

Sure he is 11th all time in strikeouts, but that has as much to do with his durability as it does to do with his ability to strike batters out. A pitcher like Maddux can pitch 20 years with around 150 strikeouts a year and hit 3000. The problem is most pitchers become either ineffective or get injured and are not able to pitch lengthy careers. Maddux struck out 200 batters in only one season in his career. He is one of the greatest pitchers in history but I would not say people are wrongly not considering him a power or strikeout pitcher.

Z is no Jamie Moyer on the finesse side and no Randy Johnson on the power side. The sinker is a great pitch to throw on days the wind is blowing out at Wrigley. A pitcher can a lot of double play ground balls with that pitch. You can conceivably get a ground ball out with 1 pitch. Very obviously, a strikeout takes at least 3 pitches. (Duh!)

Moyer and the Big Unit have gotten outs different ways. Going back to a previous era, Tommy John and Nolan Ryan were successful pitchers with different styles. Big Z is simply maturing as a pitcher capable of getting K’s but not relying on them.

Furthermore, I couldn’t understand why Rothschild wasn’t able to get this through Zambrano’s head. Zambrano’s attempted switch to a strikeout pitcher was the #1 reason I was hoping Rothschild would not be the pitching coach when Pinella was brought in. Looks like Zambrano is just that stubborn and needed to see the difference for himself.