Elbow problem lands Eyre on DL
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Cubs lefty Scott Eyre was breathing easier Tuesday, one day after finding out the only problem in his elbow is a bone spur.
Eyre received a cortisone shot from team doctor Stephen Gryzlo, and he'll miss the opening of the regular season.
"I had a bone spur in there for a couple of years," said the 35-year-old Eyre. "Now, it's just getting worse, and it's sore. But they put some cortisone in there to calm the inflammation down and see if I can pitch without some pain for a while. It would be nice."
The Cubs will put Eyre on the disabled list to start the season. Manager Lou Piniella said Sean Marshall is the favorite to replace Eyre, with Carmen Pignatiello next in line.
"As they explained to me, and I agree with them, yeah, I want to be in the bullpen on Opening Day, but if I'm not, it's going to be 35 degrees, and it's just going to make it worse," Eyre said. "If it feels good, I'll play catch on Thursday. If the cortisone works and I don't have a whole lot of pain on Thursday, I'll throw long-toss on Friday and flat-ground work and then maybe a bullpen on Saturday or in a game somewhere on Sunday."
The Marshall plan: Left-hander Sean Marshall pitched in Tuesday's 7-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants and picked up a victory and a blown save.
Marshall struck out Fred Lewis with two outs in the seventh, but a wild pitch caused a dropped third strike, and Marshall allowed the tying runs in.
Lou Piniella was blunt in assessing the "competition" between Marshall and Carmen Pignatiello to be the Cubs' only lefty out of the pen.
"If Marshall can handle the job, then basically it's going to be his," Piniella said. "Let's see what he does here over the next couple of days."
Marshall has 45 games of big-league experience, 43 as a starter. Pignatiello, who has only four games in the majors, has been nearly flawless this spring, working 9 innings and giving up 5 hits and 1 run with no walks. A sun-aided triple Tuesday led to his first run of the spring.
"Marshall pitched here last year and did a nice job for us, and I'm appreciative of that," Piniella said. "We've got to find out here in short order if he can pitch out of the bullpen. And if he can, it's going to be his job. And I know that Pignatiello has had a really, really nice spring.
"What he's done, basically, is open the door for himself here if need be. If Marshall doesn't respond or can't handle this situation, well then Pignatiello is certainly the guy we're going to take."
Roster moves: The Cubs optioned outfielders Sam Fuld and Eric Patterson to Class AAA Iowa and assigned left-handed pitcher Les Walrond and infielders Micah Hoffpauir and Casey McGehee to minor-league camp.
They also placed right-handed pitcher Angel Guzman (elbow surgery) on the 60-day disabled list. The roster stands at 32.
"Patterson impressed us in camp," Lou Piniella said. "He played really well at second base, swung the bat well, versatile, played some outfield. He's a kid that we wouldn't be concerned one bit to bring up from Triple-A if we needed somebody."
Cubs 7, Giants 5
Cubs' record: 13-14-1
At the plate: Geovany Soto and Derrek Lee hit homers. Newly signed Reed Johnson was 2-for-5 with a double and a stolen base. Aramis Ramirez was 2-for-2.
On the mound: Lefty Rich Hill, who has struggled this spring, rebounded with 5 innings of 5-hit, 2-run ball. He walked one, struck out six and gave up a homer to Randy Winn. Hill threw 84 pitches, 50 for strikes. Sean Marshall suffered a blown save but earned the victory. Michael Wuertz (0.00 ERA) worked a scoreless eighth. Carmen Pignatiello earned the save, giving up his first run of the spring.
Next: The Cubs play the Angels in Tempe. Carlos Zambrano pitches for the Cubs against Jered Weaver.
-- Bruce Miles