Zambrano to face Giants on Thursday
Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano will be moved up a day in the rotation to start against the Giants on Thursday afternoon at AT&T Park.
Rain halted Zambrano's start on Sunday night against the Cardinals after he pitched 3 perfect innings.
By starting Thursday, Zambrano would be in line to pitch the first game of next week's series against the Brewers on Tuesday, should manager Lou Piniella decide to go that route.
It would be Rich Hill's turn to start the Tuesday game against Milwaukee.
Piniella didn't announce his pitching plans past this week's games in San Francisco and Arizona.
"The rotation in San Francisco will be (Jason) Marquis, Hill and Zambrano," said Piniella. "We'll just stay in the rotation after that with (Sean) Marshall, (Ted) Lilly and Marquis probably."
The Cubs thought Zambrano was on top of his game Sunday before the rain came.
"He had electric stuff," said shortstop Ryan Theriot.
"We expected him to throw good, but he was really cutting it loose," Piniella said. "He had really, really good stuff. It's a shame the weather came."
Lilly frustrated: Ted Lilly's loss Monday was only his second in his last 11 starts, but it still didn't sit well with him.
Lilly also didn't pitch up to his expectations in last Wednesday's 11-9 loss to Cincinnati, when he got a no-decision.
"There's a few things I'm going to do to try the throw the ball a better way," Lilly said. "I'm not going to over- analyze, but there are some things I need to do to improve, for sure."
Lilly didn't do a good job of working ahead in the count in Monday's 6-4 loss.
"I wasn't getting my changeup over for strikes and eventually they just started to sit on the heater and put good swings on it," Lilly said.
It's a date
It appears Sunday's rainout against the Cardinals will be made up at Wrigley Field on Monday, Sept. 10, one of only two mutual days off for the teams.
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said Major League Baseball and the players association needed to agree to the date before it could be announced officially.
"Everyone has to get something they can live with," Hendry said.
The Cubs were to be off Sept. 10 between series in Pittsburgh and Houston. The Cardinals are on the road between stops in Arizona and Cincinnati.
"If we play either open day we'll either play 27 or 23 days in a row, but that's the way it goes," Hendry said.
Soriano update
The Cubs brought in rehabbing Iowa pitcher John Webb to pitch a simulated game Monday, but the morning rain canceled those plans.
Webb, on the disabled list at Iowa, was going to throw mostly to Cliff Floyd and Alfonso Soriano, who is stepping up his rehab from a right quad strain.
"He's hitting well and not having any problems," Jim Hendry said. "(Trainer) Mark (O'Neal) will probably step it up on the road a little bit, but I don't think he's ready to do any full sprinting yet."
This and that
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa used closer Jason Isringhausen for 2 innings, his first 2-inning save since Aug. 8, 2002. ... Monday's game was delayed by rain in the seventh inning for one hour and 27 minutes. During the six-game homestand, there were five separate rain delays totaling six hours and 52 minutes.