Marshall's arrival leads to a little reshuffling in the rotation
Otherwise, he would have had his rotation lined up with three straight lefties and all of them going against a Padres team that hits lefties 25 points better than right-handers.
Lilly's spot would have followed newly recalled lefty Sean Marshall's start today, but he'll be moved to Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers instead.
Marshall, who was 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in Class AAA, has started once against San Diego, allowing one run in six innings last May in a game the Cubs lost 2-1 in 10 innings at Petco Park.
Marshall, who was 6-9 with a 5.59 ERA as a rookie last year, said he plans to be here for the long-term this time around.
''I'm just going to pitch well enough to earn my spot. I hope to hold it for 20 years,'' he said. ''If I win a bunch of games, it'll take care of itself.''
PEN MIGHTIER? Piniella said he expects the recent bullpen moves, including adding power-pitching right-handers Carlos Marmol and Angel Guzman, to settle an early-season sore spot.
''I think you'll see our bullpen stabilize and pitch much better,'' he said. ''[Bob] Howry's starting to throw the ball much better. I can rest my right-handers a little more.''
But it's not simply about power, he said of his pen. ''I like variance,'' he said. ''And we've got a pretty good variance out there right now. I don't like lookalike bullpens.''
LET'S BUILD TWO: Ernie Banks' former teammate Ron Santo isn't sure where the Cubs should put the planned statue of Mr. Cub, but he has an idea how tall it should stand.
''There should be the biggest statue that could ever be built for this man,'' said the Cubs' color commentator and former all-star third baseman. ''He's Mr. Cub. He'll always be Mr. Cub. I'm very excited about it.''
The Cubs announced Tuesday that a statue of Banks will be erected at Wrigley Field by Opening Day next season.
Santo said: ''There was just something about Wrigley Field and something about Ernie Banks'' that made him turn down better offers from other teams to sign with the Cubs as a kid in Seattle. ''And I was absolutely right,'' he added. ''He's not only a great ballplayer but a great human being.''
SHORT HOPS: As expected, first baseman Derrek Lee, who came off the bench twice over the weekend to pinch-hit -- hitting a grand slam and drawing a walk -- returned to the lineup Tuesday nine days after neck spasms knocked him out of a game in Philadelphia. Lee said he's been ready to start since Sunday, but he's only about 80 percent.
• • In his second rehab start, right-hander Wade Miller gave up four earned runs in six innings on six hits and three walks Monday for Class AAA Iowa. He struck out three in the 89-pitch effort and rejoined the team in San Diego on Tuesday, awaiting his next assignment.