MESA, Ariz. -- Jason Marquis doesn't look like Greg Maddux, and doesn't have the same career numbers as Greg Maddux, but he has the same mindset. At least, that's Michael Barrett's take on the new Cubs pitcher.

"He looks like he wants to be like Maddux in his mentality, the way he pitches, the way he goes about his business," Barrett said. "He has the same kind of intensity, same mindset in terms of how he wants to get guys out."

If Marquis can come close to pitching like the 300-game winner, the Cubs will be in great shape. The right-hander will open the Cactus League season and make his Cubs debut on Thursday at HoHoKam Park against the San Francisco Giants, who will counter with Barry Zito.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella's first game will feature Alfonso Soriano in center and batting leadoff followed by Matt Murton, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Michael Barrett, Jacque Jones, Mark DeRosa and Cesar Izturis.

Marquis was one of two free-agent starting pitchers added by the Cubs this offseason. He led the National League in losses with 16, had his worst ERA (6.02), and was left off the postseason roster by the St. Louis Cardinals in their world championship season. But he was Maddux's teammate in Atlanta, and apparently seems to have the same traits as the four-time Cy Young winner.

"I think [pitching coach Larry Rothschild] and I can help him because we had some time with Maddux," Barrett said. "We know where he wants to go, we know what he's trying to do. I had a good talk with him. I told him I am going to use a similar approach on how I handled Maddux. Everybody's different, but understanding what he's trying to accomplish, I think it's good I have that experience catching Maddux."

Marquis and Maddux were close, and always looked forward to the Cubs-Cardinals games when the two faced each other, trying to match each other in stolen bases and hitting as well as doing the job on the mound.

"It's not something I think about, or sit there and say, 'I want to think like this guy, I want to think like that guy,'" Marquis said Wednesday. "I am who I am. I did learn stuff from Greg over the years, and not just about pitching, but how to be a professional and off-the-field stuff."

They don't throw the same. The comparison is more how they approach the game.

"I like what I like to do, I believe in it," Marquis said. "Me and Mike sat down and talked about what I want to do as a pitcher, and what he wants to do as a catcher. If that's what he got from that, that's a compliment to me. Now I have to put it to use and be successful."

Does that mean Marquis will become a 300-game winner like Maddux?

"I can't go out there and pitch like Greg," Marquis said. "No one in the history of the game can. He's an individual, and his record shows that.

"I consider myself somewhat of an intellectual guy, and I'd never put myself on the same level as Greg in terms of baseball knowledge, but I pride myself on the scholastic side," he said. "It was instilled in me from my parents when I was growing up, and I tried to carry that over in baseball. It can get you in too much trouble sometimes, because you try to overthink.

"If anything, what I'd like to learn from Greg is his approach and how he simplifies things," he said. "You can have a wealth of knowledge, but you don't know how to use it, and it can be a hindrance. You want to simplify things and make things easier, and hopefully have success."

Last June 21, Marquis served up 13 runs on 14 hits over five innings against the Chicago White Sox. Less than a month later on July 18, he was charged with 12 runs on 14 hits over five innings against Atlanta. Do the math. If you delete those two games from Marquis' numbers, his ERA for the season drops to 5.13. Remove those two outings from his stats for the last three seasons, and his ERA dips from 4.07 to 3.65.

In his start after the Atlanta game, Marquis threw eight shutout innings against the Dodgers. Go figure. But the two games against the White Sox and Braves may have had a residual effect.

"It may have," Marquis admitted. "It's your free-agent year. A lot of teams don't look at the full picture in terms of stats. You try to head into the offseason in terms of numbers to put yourself in a good position."

"I should've sat back and looked at things and looked at the whole story and realized what I'm capable of doing and what I've done in the past," he said. "I was trying so many different things to get right. I developed bad habits. Bad habits can be broken, just like good habits can be broken."

Piniella said he can sense Marquis is a tough competitor, and some of the problems he may have had last season were related to that.

"You try to do a little too much when things are going wrong and overthrow a little bit," Marquis said. "Last year, I got caught up in that I was trying to feel my way through things instead of being aggressive. I wasn't finishing my pitches. I had side-to-side movement, which I'm not looking for. I'm more north-to-south movement. I lost that extra little bite on pitches. You learn from your mistakes, and hopefully you can benefit from that."

Piniella has a lot to consider in the next month, including whether Soriano can make the switch to center field, whether Ryan Dempster can rebound as the closer, who will bat second, and if Mark Prior, Kerry Wood and Wade Miller are healthy enough to contribute.

"I'm looking forward to [games]," Piniella said. "It will give me an opportunity to familiarize myself with players' strengths and how to utilize them. It's more fun for me because then the evaluation process starts. It's something to look forward to every day, whether it's this guy pitch, or this guy hit.

"Plus, I haven't managed in a year and a half," he said. "I need to hone my skills, too."

Spring Training, so far, has been good for Piniella, the Cubs and Marquis.

"I feel great," Marquis said. "I feel confident, feel good, and things are going in the right direction."