More changes afoot for Piniella's arms

CUBS | Marshall likely new 5th starter while Cotts may be on his way down

Manager Lou Piniella said he would talk about the changes before the Cubs open a three-game series against the San Diego Padres tonight.

One expected change is the recall from Class AAA of left-hander Sean Marshall, with the Cubs needing another starter this week. And that probably would mean the demotion to the minors of struggling lefty reliever Neal Cotts, who has contract options remaining.

It's only the beginning of a shakeup that has been in the works since at least last week's ugly seven-game East Coast trip for the bullpen, and it eventually will include moving Dempster to the rotation once Angel Guzman proves he can be the kind of late-inning pitcher Piniella envisions.

Meanwhile, veteran members of the bullpen have some of the same questions fans and media have over such dramatic moves in a roster area where stability of roles typically affects performance more than in any other area.

''I can't say I've ever seen that happen before,'' said struggling setup man Bob Howry (1-3, 4.57 ERA). ''Would you rather have another experienced guy in your rotation, or would you rather have an experienced guy at the end of your bullpen? The million-dollar question.''

Left-hander Scott Eyre (0-1, 7.53) took responsibility for his part in the pen's problems but said the other relievers have done good jobs. He said he would like to see the veteran bullpen work out its problems but added: ''You can only let it ride so much. You've got to win.''

Said Howry: ''It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. Whoever they stick in that [closer] role, if they come out and pitch great, then, hey, it looks like a great move. But there's a lot of uncertainty that goes with it.''