Cubs call Fox up, send Samardzija down

We're a few minutes away from Wednesday's first pitch in Houston and the Cubs did a little maneuvering before the game.

The Cubs called up reliever Chad Fox and his bionic elbow from AAA Iowa, where he allowed just 2 earned runs in 11.1 innings (1.59 ERA). He also whiffed 10 while walking just three.

"He's been throwing the ball well in Iowa," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said on his WGN pregame show. "We'll get him in there as soon as possible."

To make room for Fox, the Cubs sent Jeff Samardzija back to Iowa. Piniella said Samardzija will jump back into the starting rotation (his first appearance will be Saturday) in order to work on his secondary pitches. He tried to get by with his fastball during his brief stay, but his numbers (7 hits, 3 ER in 3.1 innings) suggested that the one-pitch meal-ticket plan doesn't work.

Lastly, Piniella intended to start all of his big guns tonight against Astros lefty Mike Hampton, but Derrek Lee's balky neck knocked him out of the lineup.

"Let's hope it's not too long," Piniella said.