--RHP Randy Wells will be the starting pitcher Friday when the Cubs travel to Milwaukee. Wells will fill injured Carlos Zambrano's spot in the rotation. Wells tuned up with three scoreless innings Monday for Iowa, lowering his ERA to 2.77 to go with a 3-0 record. The Cubs are carrying 11 pitchers, down from 12, but general manager Jim Hendry says the Cubs will get back to 12 and stay at that number for most of the season. Wells, a 2002 draft pick of the Cubs, pitched briefly in the majors last year with Toronto and the Cubs.
--RHP Ryan Dempster rebounded from a 10-0 loss last week at Arizona. After last Friday's game at Wrigley, he went to the bullpen and worked with pitching coach Larry Rothschild. "Early on in the season when I'd get runners on base, I wasn't mentally sticking with pitches," said Dempster, who added he worked on keeping the ball down. BY THE NUMBERS: 620 -- SS Ryan Theriot went a calendar year and 620 at-bats without a home run before hitting a grand slam against the Marlins last Friday. Then he homered the next day.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We can send them to a spa." -- Manager Lou Piniella, on whether his team needed a meeting to solve its problems.
