Dempster could return Sunday to face Cincinnati

Pitcher Ryan Dempster may be able to start as soon as Sunday as his broken right big toe heals faster than expected.

Dempster has been on the disabled list since July 7. He threw a simulated game Wednesday in Philadelphia and will undergo an X-ray today in Chicago.

If the results are good, Dempster is a possibility for Sunday's finale against the Reds at Wrigley Field. The Cubs originally had hoped Dempster could pitch next Thursday against the Astros in a makeup game at Wrigley.

"Possibly," pitching coach Larry Rothschild told cubs.com about the accelerated timetable. "We'll have to see how he reacts to this. He may be ready to pitch sometime this weekend. He's not favoring it at all."

Inheritance tax: Reliever Sean Marshall allowed only his second and third inherited runners of the season to score in Wednesday's 10-5 victory over the Phillies.

Marshall entered the day leading the big leagues with a 96 percent rate of stranding runners (24 of 25).

Seeing Reds: If Ryan Dempster does not start Sunday, the Cubs will go with a rotation of Randy Wells, Ted Lilly and Kevin Hart against the Reds. Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker will counter with Aaron Harang, Johnny Cueto and Micah Owings.