The move to put Carlos Zambrano in the bullpen was made out of desperation rather than an outright demotion of the Chicago Cubs' highest-paid, highest-profile pitcher.

General manager Jim Hendry, assistant GM Randy Bush, manager Lou Piniella and pitching coach Larry Rothschild had long discussions last week about the best short-term solution to the Cubs' eighth-inning setup problem.

Carlos Silva has been pitching well as has Tom Gorzelanny, but really the choice for the bullpen was between Silva and Zambrano. Both pitched in the bullpen early in their careers.

The consensus opinion was that Zambrano's bulldog mentality and overall stuff was better suited for the bullpen role. Silva, who has been successful so far, is still an unknown quanitity and personality to the Cubs especially after two disastrous seasons with the Seattle Mariners.

Ted Lilly's return to the rotation gives the Cubs the luxury of moving Zambrano into the setup role for now. After another stellar performance by Silva on Wednesday night, Cubs management hopes that Zambrano can hold down the fort until another veteran reliever can be signed or traded for.