(Sports Network) - Carlos Zambrano will try to pitch himself back into the win column this afternoon, when he leads the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs in the finale of a three-game series versus the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field.

Zambrano had won seven consecutive decisions before getting rocked at Los Angeles on Saturday at Chavez Ravine. The Big Z was reached for seven runs and 13 hits -- both season highs -- in 6 2/3 innings of a 7-3 setback, falling to 8-2 with a 3.01 earned run average in 14 outings.

The hard-throwing right-hander, who is 4-0 in eight home starts this season, owns a 2-2 record and 4.88 ERA through nine career appearances against the Braves. Zambrano was 0-1 in two starts versus the Braves in 2007 and is 0-2 with a 5.82 ERA in his last seven starts against them. He has not defeated Atlanta since July 15 of the 2002 campaign.

Zambrano will try to soften the loss of star outfielder Alfonso Soriano, who will miss an extended period of time with a broken left hand suffered during the second inning of Wednesday's 7-2 victory over the Braves. Soriano, who was shelved earlier this season with a strained calf, has a team-high 15 homers and currently leads all NL outfielders in All-Star voting.

In the victory over Atlanta, starting pitcher Ryan Dempster tossed his ninth career complete game and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out 11 batters. Dempster moved to 8-0 at home this year and recorded his first complete game since 2002.

Kosuke Fukudome belted a three-run homer for Chicago, which has won three in a row and boasts the best record in the majors at 42-24. The Cubs also extended their home winning streak to 10 games and moved to 28-8 at Wrigley Field this year. Ryan Theriot and Jim Edmonds drove in two runs apiece in the win.

While the Cubs continue to win at home, the Braves are still struggling as the visitor this season. The Braves have lost five in a row on the road and fell to an MLB-worst 7-23 away from Turner Field this season after last night's loss in the Windy City. Atlanta has dropped five straight overall and is 0-2 on a 10-game swing against the Cubs, Angels, Rockies and Rangers.

Jeff Bennett was rocked in his two innings on the hill, allowing seven runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. Corky Miller clubbed a pinch-hit two-run homer in the seventh inning to provide the scoring for the Braves.

Braves veteran starter Tim Hudson hasn't posted a win in his last three starts and will get the nod today. Hudson, who is 7-4 with a 2.86 ERA in 14 starts this season, is 0-1 in the previous three trips to the bump.

Hudson did not record a decision last Friday in a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies after he yielded a run and five hits in 7 2/3 innings.

The right-hander is 2-0 with a 4.70 earned run average in four career starts against Chicago. Hudson last faced the Cubs on June 9 of last season, allowing five runs five hits in two frames of a 9-5 victory at Turner Field.

Atlanta went 5-4 against the Cubs last season, with a 2-1 record at Wrigley Field. The Braves are 17-8 against Chicago since the start of the 2005 campaign and 7-4 in the Windy City over that stretch.