Marshall struck out seven and gave up two hits over seven scoreless innings on Tuesday night to outduel Dontrelle Willis and lead the Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 victory over the Florida Marlins.

"He was phenomenal," Cubs catcher Michael Barrett said of Marshall. "What a great game. We needed him to step up going against Dontrelle, who's probably the best pitcher in the last four years in the National League. You can't say enough about the start [Marshall] had tonight. It was awesome."

Matt Murton hit an RBI single in the fourth and an RBI double in the seventh to give Marshall (2-0) all the help he needed. The 6-foot-7 left-hander worked quickly in the brisk cold and was aided by a northeast wind that kept fly balls inside Wrigley Field.

"The elements were with us tonight," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "We thought spring was here and winter showed up again. I guess that's Chicago."

This was the deepest Marshall, 23, has gone in a game in his first four big league starts. It was also the fewest hits he has allowed as well as the most strikeouts he has recorded. The lefty has done nothing but continue to impress each time out. He was thrown into the fire in his first game April 9 against St. Louis.

"The young man has done a great job as far as not being affected by outside influences," Baker said. "If you can pitch Sunday night in your first big league game against the St. Louis Cardinals on national TV, there's not a whole bunch more other than a playoff situation that you'll have to handle."

Any pregame advice, other than stay warm?

"The only thing we try to tell him is that Dontrelle can hit, so you treat him like a hitter," Baker said.

Willis (1-1) can pitch, too. The Marlins lefty held the Cubs to five hits and struck out six over seven innings. He got the better of former teammate Juan Pierre, who was 0-for-3 and struck out twice.

"He's one of my favorite players, if not my favorite player, the way he goes about his business," Willis said of Pierre. "He makes them go. I was thinking, 'If I could stop him from getting on base and causing havoc.' I was trying to disrupt him any way I could. I wish him all the best."

Marshall walked two and did not serve up a hit until Chris Aguila singled with one out in the fifth. Reggie Abercrombie then grounded into a double play to end the inning. The only other hit off Marshall was an infield single by Dan Uggla with two out in the sixth.

"I wasn't going to let the weather affect me," Marshall said. "It was a great day to pitch. I was going to go in with good confidence. I feel like I really prepared well for this game. I got a couple runs early and it got me in a groove and let me go deep in the game."

Marshall's breaking ball was his top pitch.

"It's been awhile since I've been able to control it and command it like that," Marshall said. "I pitched everything off that tonight. It feels good to get that pitch back in my arsenal."

Barrett didn't have a tough time with his pitch calling.

"I encourage him to shake me off," Barrett said. "That's how I'll learn his game, learn his style. I tell him it's more about the conviction of his pitches than the selection. If I have an issue, I'll go out and talk to him. We've had some discussions on the mound and he's been as cool as a cucumber out there. I can't say enough about his composure. I think that's carried him to this point."

He wasn't just cool because of the winter-like weather, although Marshall dashed into the clubhouse for warmth between innings.

"He's getting more confident, more control of the strike zone, more confidence to throw any pitch in any count," Baker said. "That's what you call progress and what you like to see of the young man."

Aramis Ramirez walked to open the Cubs fourth and advanced on Barrett's sacrifice. Murton, who had struggled on the recent road trip, then hit a single to center and Ramirez slid safely under catcher Miguel Olivo's tag to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.

In the Cubs seventh, Barrett and Murton hit back to back doubles to make it 2-0. Murton advanced on Jacque Jones' sacrifice, and then scored on Jerry Hairston Jr.'s bunt single.

"I could feel myself swinging at pitches I usually don't swing at," Murton said of his mini-slump. "I'm trying to get back on my game and keep my front side in better and work to the middle of the field. That's going to help you have success at the plate. I'm aware that this can happen again. It's a good learning experience for me."

It's been a good experience for Marshall, too. Who would've thought the rookie would have more wins than veteran Carlos Zambrano?

"Obviously, you're never going to replace guys like Kerry Wood and Mark Prior," Murton said. "But it's huge to have guys like Sean come in. Anytime we can get starting pitching to do that, it'll help our team."

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.