Dempster has inside track to 5th starter's spot
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Opening Day is three weeks from today, and as far as Cubs manager Lou Piniella is concerned, it's the stretch run for determining a starting rotation.
"The competition starts in earnest about this time," Piniella said Sunday, before the Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 13-1. "You know what? They're all throwing well."
Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Rich Hill are the sure things in the rotation, with Jon Lieber being all but assured of a job, barring an injury or a late-camp implosion.
That leaves the final spot a battle between Sunday's starter, Ryan Dempster, and Jason Marquis.
Dempster appears to be the favorite because the Cubs promised him a shot to move from closer to starter and because Dempster has worked in the off-season to get himself into top physical shape.
On top of that, he has a split-finger fastball to go along with a good fastball and slider.
Piniella seems impressed by what Dempster has done.
"No question, and he wants it badly," the manager said. "He came to camp in really good shape. He's maintained that. He's worked hard, and he's enthused and excited about the prospect of starting. And we told him we were committed to giving him that opportunity, and that's exactly what's happening."
Dempster looked to have solidified his grip Sunday. Aside from one shaky inning, he was solid in a 4-inning, 1-hit, 1-run start. For the spring, Dempster has given up 5 hits and 3 runs in 9 innings for a 3.00 ERA.
"I feel really good," he said. "I feel good stamina wise. I feel good arm wise. My breaking pitches are coming around. I threw some good splits today, which I hadn't done the last couple games. I threw a lot of good sinkers. That was important for me today. I felt that today, more than any day, I just kept the ball down around the knees, which was nice."
Dempster opened with a 1-2-3 inning, throwing only 6 pitches. He went 7 pitches and 7 strikes in the second. The Cubs batted around in a long top of the third, and Dempster may have felt the effects in the bottom half, when he walked two and hit a batter, throwing 20 pitches.
But he finished with a flourish, working a 1-2-3 fourth and winding up with a total pitch count of 43.
"The first couple innings were pretty good, and I got myself in a little jam," he said. "You don't want that. You want to have as many efficient innings as possible, but in a way, it's nice to be familiar with those situations and work your way out of them and bounce back."
Piniella termed Dempster's work on Sunday "impressive."
As far as any "competition" among starters goes, Dempster says he's not worried about it.
"I know there's a lot of talk about it, but I don't concern myself with that," he said. "I feel if I take care of what I need to take care of and work hard … and continue to pitch well, things have a way of working themselves out."
Dempster won't even let himself consider the "what-ifs" of not making the rotation.
"I always felt like I was a pretty darn good starter before I got hurt," he said of the elbow surgery he underwent in 2003. "I haven't had a chance to start for a full season since then. So I guess it's believing in myself and my ability. I've been there before, and I know what to do. I'm healthy now and feeling great.
"The opportunity came for me. I feel like some teams have to go out and trade or sign a starting pitcher. We had one. He just happened to be pitching in the back end of the bullpen."