Cubs get some good news about Zambrano's shoulder

The Cubs were breathing easier Friday after hearing that ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano has "only" a strained right shoulder.

Zambrano left Wednesday's start at Tampa Bay after 6¿ innings with "discomfort." An MRI arthrogram Friday revealed the results.

The upshot is that Zambrano will miss next Tuesday's start against Baltimore and maybe one more after that. If the Cubs put Zambrano on the disabled list and backdate it to Thursday, he can return July 4 in St. Louis.

The Cubs reiterated that the injury is in no way related to the stiff neck Zambrano suffered last month in Houston.

"The good news is there was no structural damage to the two main parts of his shoulder," said general manager Jim Hendry. "The two worrisome parts of his shoulder are the labrum and the rotator cuff, and they're in very, very good shape for a man who has pitched as many innings in the big leagues that he has."

The 27-year-old Zambrano is 8-3 with a 3.13 ERA. He is the leader on the staff in innings pitched with 106½, and he has logged more than 200 innings in each of the past five seasons.

With Zambrano out for next Tuesday, the Cubs likely will recall lefty Sean Marshall from Class AAA Iowa. Marshall, who has pitched in 13 games for the Cubs this year, worked 8 innings Thursday for Class AAA Iowa, giving up 4 hits and 1 run and getting the victory.

"I would venture to say that it will probably be Marshall," said manager Lou Piniella. "He threw the ball really well last night in Iowa. But let's wait and see. That would be my guess."

As far as trying to add another pitcher in the trade market, Hendry said: "Honestly, I haven't gone to work any differently about, as we look at our own club, before or after Z walked off the mound the other night. I really haven't. We're going to try to get better at the appropriate time if we can during the year."

Friday's starter, Ted Lilly, seemed relieved by the news.

"Obviously he's our No. 1, he's a guy that we lean on and not just what he does on the mound," Lilly said. "He's a presence on our team and in our clubhouse and certainly on the mound."

In other injury news, left fielder Alfonso Soriano had another X-ray taken of his broken left hand. The Cubs said the X-ray was done to make sure the bone hadn't moved.

Soriano has been on the DL since June 12, and the Cubs say he still will be out a total of six weeks.

Marmol aid: Both Carlos Marmol and Lou Piniella wrote off Marmol's nightmarish outing Thursday at Tampa Bay as a bump in the road. Marmol walked two and hit two in a 7-run seventh inning for the Rays.

"That sometimes happens," Marmol said. "You're going to make a mistake. You're not going to be perfect every day."

Piniella rejected the notion Marmol was "too strong" after having not worked in the first two games of the series.

"I think what you saw last night was an aberration," Piniella said.

DH doings: The Cubs will need a DH next weekend when the Cubs-Sox series moves to the South Side.

By then, maybe they'll have Daryle Ward, who has been on the DL since May 18 with a bulging disc in his lower back.

"The guy who would be DHing for us is in Arizona," Piniella said of the rehabbing Ward. "So this is a tough stretch.

"From what I hear, he's been taking a little batting practice. I would think sometime this week or this weekend, he can be sent to Iowa to get some at-bats, and possibly by the time we play the White Sox at their home ballpark over next weekend, he can be here DHing for us."