Marquis making case for 5th spot in the rotation
MESA, Ariz. -- Was Jason Marquis' performance Tuesday good enough to secure a spot in the starting rotation?
Perhaps the better question is: Whose rotation?
After giving up a leadoff triple and an earned run to start the game, Marquis turned in a solid effort, scattering 5 hits in 5-plus innings to make his bid for the fifth starter's slot in what is believed to be a three-player competition with Jon Lieber and Sean Marshall.
The Cubs beat the Royals 6-5 at HoHoKam Park on Casey McGahee's run-scoring single in the ninth.
Marquis threw 75 pitches in his longest outing of the spring. He departed after giving up a leadoff single in the sixth with the game tied at 1-1.
"I felt great,'' said Marquis, who had to pitch out of a couple of jams. "I think it was good to go through that, because that's the sort of situations you find yourself in as the season goes along.''
Cubs manager Lou Piniella said he hoped to have the rotation settled "by the end of the week.''
Since Marquis is not scheduled to pitch again until Sunday, Tuesday's outing was most likely his last, perhaps best, opportunity to make his case.
But if Marquis attached any special significance to Tuesday's game, he was keeping it to himself.
"My approach is to just take the ball when they tell me to,'' he said. "I feel like I did everything I could do and I think today was a step in the right direction.''
Marquis' stoic posture even emerged when his pitching line this spring was mentioned.
Among the Cubs' starters, Marquis' 1.93 ERA is third best, trailing only that of Carlos Zambrano (0.60) and Lieber (1.80).
"You know, sometimes stats can be misleading,'' Marquis said. "I mean, you still have to go out and get hitters out. That's the job.''
Said Piniella: "They are making it tough on us, they really are. I thought Marquis pitched really well today. We've seen some really good performances, especially from the group in the competition. I'm going to have to talk to the pitching coach. We really haven't talked much; we just let them pitch. Truthfully, they've all earned a spot in the rotation, the way they've pitched.''
That perceived embarrassment of riches makes the big-contract Marquis an especially prominent figure in the trade talks that have been percolating for months.
For his part, Marquis is content to tend to his own business.
"Starting pitchers are needed everywhere,'' Marquis said. "But my focus has been to be a starter for the Chicago Cubs. That's why I signed here and that's my goal.
"If they call me into the office and tell me something, well, I'll deal with that then. But right now, making this rotation is what I'm focusing on.''
Cubs 6, Royals 5
Cubs' record: 8-12
At the plate: Ronny Cedeno went 3-for-3 with a double and a game-tying triple in the ninth. Aramis Ramirez connected on his first homer of the spring, a 3-run shot that put the Cubs up 4-1 in the sixth.
On the mound: Scott Eyre, Jose Ascanio and Kevin Hart each pitched a scoreless inning. Hart struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth for his first spring win.
Next: The Cubs play split-squad games today. Ryan Dempster (2-1) pitches at home against Oakland, while Jon Lieber (1-0) takes the mound against the Giants in Scottsdale.
-- Slim Smith