Piniella to miss three games

DENVER - Manager Lou Piniella will miss the last two games of the Cubs' weekend series in Colorado and the first game of the homestand against Milwaukee on Monday as he heads home to Tampa Bay for the funeral of his uncle, Joseph Magadan.

Magadan was the father of former big-leaguer and one-time Cub Dave Magadan, and was the brother of Piniella's mother.

Piniella described his relationship with Magadan as "very close."

"I'm going to miss three games," Piniella said. "I'm going to leave (Saturday). There's a wake on Sunday, and then there's a mass and a funeral on Monday. He was 92 years old. He had a really good life."

Bench coach Alan Trammell will manage the club in Piniella's absence.

Grabow gaining ground: Left-handed reliever John Grabow reported feeling "good" after throwing off the mound at Coors Field on Friday, his second session off the mound since going on the disabled list with a left knee sprain since June 25.

"He's been slowly getting better," Piniella said. "It's been about a month now. Once we can get him to (pitch off the mound) with a little consistency, we're going to have to get a program for him, and then he's going to have to go out and get a little rehab. So I don't see him on the horizon for quite a while yet."