Barrett on same page with 'Z'
Zambrano? He didn't want to talk about it Monday.
Both players, who were fined by the team but not suspended, will have a more formal clear-the-air session with manager Lou Piniella today, a meeting that was pushed back a day because of Piniella's conference call involving his four-game suspension over Saturday's ejection.
''We talked. We remain close,'' said Barrett, who was back in the lineup Monday for the first time since the fight. ''We had our differences that day, and now we're on the same page and we feel that it's behind us.''
Zambrano is scheduled to pitch Wednesday against the Brewers, and Barrett won't be scheduled to catch him, Piniella reiterated, but he softened his longer-term stance on keeping them apart on the field.
Barrett, who was available off the bench Saturday and Sunday, said he was excited to return to the lineup.
''There were just a few things that we needed to take care of as far as personal issues that I had,'' he said. ''Let some healing take place and go get them today.''
JUDGING LOU: General manager Jim Hendry said he has no problem with the job Piniella has done through the one-third mark of his first season with the Cubs.
''I'm perfectly satisfied with Lou,'' Hendry said. ''We're all in the same boat. The only thing we're not happy with is our record. I'm not disappointed in any of the guys that we brought in, and I know everybody's trying as hard as they can.
''We have not played well. And we've played bad baseball on days, and we have guys who would be the first to tell you they're not happy with their own performances. But Lou has a history of doing things a little bit outside the box sometimes, and usually it results in the winning formula in the end. I have a lot of faith that we're going to get this thing right.''
THE MISSING PIECE? If newly recalled outfielder Felix Pie can hold down the No. 2 spot in the batting order, as Piniella will give him an opportunity to do, that could go a long way toward stabilizing the Cubs' almost daily-changing lineup -- at least through the first five or six spots.
''I like the idea of the left-hand hitter in the two hole with all the right-hand hitting that we have,'' Piniella said. ''He fits in there rather nicely.''
D-LEADER? His playing credentials, as well as his status as a senior holdover in a clubhouse full of new Cubs, has made first baseman Derrek Lee at least a de facto team captain. But despite his role in calling last week's players-only meeting, Lee isn't buying it.
''I don't know where that comes from,'' he said. ''I go do my job every day the same way. I take more responsibility, I'm a veteran player, I've been around the game, so, yes, I have a responsibility to maybe say certain things. I'm not going to wear a 'C' on my jersey or anything like that.''
MILLER UPDATE: Right-hander Wade Miller could get another go-round with the Cubs after the Delaware surgeon who performed the 2005 surgery on Miller's pitching shoulder determined there were no problems in the joint to preclude a continued comeback effort, Hendry said.
Miller, whose velocity didn't exceed the mid-80s during a three-week minor-league rehab assignment, is scheduled for a week of therapy on the East Coast, then could rejoin the Cubs, probably in the minors. Miller, the fifth starter when the season opened, went 0-1 with a 10.54 ERA in three starts.
DL FOR FLOYD? The Cubs are hoping Cliff Floyd's tweaked rib-cage muscle won't land the outfielder on the disabled list, but he hasn't played since Wednesday and hasn't been able to take full batting practice since before the weekend. Officially, he was available to pinch-hit Monday, but the team is reluctant to take chances on aggravating the injury.
