SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Jon Lieber may make the Cubs' decision regarding the rotation a little easier. He says he's willing to go to the bullpen.

"I'm not even worried about it," said Lieber, one of three pitchers vying for two spots in the rotation. "You can't do nothing. Like I've said before, I'm more than happy to go to the bullpen. Those guys ... deserve to be in that rotation. They've done a great job."

The two guys are Jason Marquis and Ryan Dempster, who also have pitched well this spring. Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who skipped the night game against the Giants, has said he'll make a decision on the rotation by the weekend.

Lieber made his fourth spring appearance and third start, and gave up more hits in three innings against the Giants -- five -- than he did in eight innings in his two previous outings. But the right-hander was able to escape jams and got three double plays in his five innings.

"I've faced these guys a lot over the years and they know I'm going to be around the plate," Lieber said. "They went with the pitch and put the ball in play, and I worked out of some jams.

"It wasn't really an off day," he said, "but I felt I wasn't as sharp against the lefties as I should've been."

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The Giants' only run off him came when he walked Ray Durham with one out in the fourth, and he scored one out later on Dan Ortmeier's single.

That walk, by the way, was only the second he's issued this spring. For the game, Lieber served up seven hits and struck out four.

He seems rejuvenated in his second turn with the Cubs. Lieber pitched for the team from 1999-2002 and is coming back from a foot injury that limited him to 14 games last year.

"I'm not going to worry about anything and just go out there and have some fun," he said.

The Cubs know exactly what they're getting in the veteran, who was the team's last 20-game winner.

"I'm not a power pitcher, and I'm not going to blow the ball by guys," Lieber said. "I've got to be able to locate. To me, if a team's really hammering me, more than likely I'm missing my spots and I'm leaving some balls up. I've got to keep it down, and have good location and work ahead in the count and work fast and keep a nice pace."

Sounds like something the Cubs could use in both the rotation and the bullpen.