On Sunday, Glavine will try for the second time to get his 300th career win when the Mets close their weekend series with the Cubs. DeRosa and Glavine were teammates on the Atlanta Braves, and the pitcher befriended the young infielder at the time. They live near each other in the offseason.

On Sunday, it will be all business. Glavine will have history against him, though. See the 300-club note below.

"I'd prefer he didn't get it against us, that's for sure," DeRosa said Friday. "Obviously, I think the world of him.

"Between him and [Greg] Maddux -- not that they necessarily resemble each other's styles -- but Tommy has had to reinvent himself with the new strike zone and he's been able to do that and still win ballgames, and throw changeups inside and outside," DeRosa said. "He's one of the first to throw changeups inside to a right-handed pitcher. He's an innovative pitcher and a gamer. He's a great guy to be around, a great leader. He's a quality individual."

Won't it be strange to face him Sunday?

"It won't be hard," DeRosa said. "We've got a job to do. He's going to get 300 regardless of whether it's against us or somewhere else. I'm not worried about him getting into Cooperstown. We've got to win a ballgame."

Maddux was the last pitcher to win 300 games, and at the time, it was considered a long shot for anyone else.

"It's harder, with the five-man rotation, no question," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "I don't see young kids coming into the game today with that much of a chance to win 300 games. You're looking at a dying breed in my opinion."

Cliff Floyd may or may not be in the lineup against the lefty. He also was Glavine's teammate with the Mets.

"He doesn't get the calls like he used to back in the day and he's changed his way of pitching," Floyd said. "He knows when to take a little more off. He messes with the power guys. He's real smart. I don't think you get 299 wins by being dumb. He learned how to pitch at an early age and just perfected it.

"If he's on Sunday, we'll have a tough time beating him," Floyd said. "If he's not, he can win 300 somewhere else."

Eye to eye: Sean Marshall was wearing glasses on Friday to give his right eye time to heal. Marshall scratched his cornea with his contacts Wednesday night, and woke Thursday, the day he was to start, with his right eye inflamed and puffy.

The lefty still made his start against the Philadelphia Phillies, but lasted 2 2/3 innings. He was not pulled because of his eye but because of ineffectiveness. Marshall gave up seven runs on nine hits in his abbreviated outing.

"I just didn't pitch like I should've pitched and have pitched." Marshall said Friday. "I wish I could take that back."

He will wear his contacts when he throws on the side, and when he makes his next start Tuesday in Houston.

Buddies: Ryan Dempster is a key factor for the Cubs not only on the field but off.

Rocky Cherry was called on in the third inning to relieve Sean Marshall on Thursday, and struggled. Dempster sought the rookie out in the dugout.

"He was a little nervous," Cubs reliever Scott Eyre said of Cherry. "'Demp' went by and talked to him. He said, 'Relax, you've got nothing to lose. Go out there and pitch.' His next two innings were great.

"Sometimes, a coach or a manager will say something to you, but it's not the same when it comes from your peer," Eyre said. "When it comes from someone like him, it means more. Everybody looks to Demp for everything."

Cherry, who was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday to make room on the roster for Kerry Wood, was grateful for Dempster's support.

"I was a little nervous, and Dempster talked to me and said, 'Hey, man, it's a 0-0 ballgame, it's just like any other day and go out there and get after it,'" Cherry said. "It got me in the right frame of mind. After the game, I went up to Dempster and said, 'Thanks, man, for straightening me out.'"

Dempster isn't the only one.

"That's one of the good things about being with a veteran ballclub is that you're playing with guys with experience," Cherry said. "Even after the game, Scott talked to me for about an hour. It was stuff you want to hear, stuff you want to learn. I appreciate it."

Eyre would know. The lefty struggled the first half, and compiled a 6.60 ERA in 27 games. In six outings since the All-Star break, Eyre has given up two hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in six games.

"I had a tough first couple months," Eyre said. "It's not a hug or anything like that that [Dempster] does. It's a tough-love message. It means a lot. It means he cares and he really believes that for us to win, I need to be a part of this."

DeRosa and Floyd also have offered support for the younger players -- and Eyre as well. It's one of the reasons for the Cubs' success.

"It's your extended family," Eyre said. "There's a difference in having teammates and teammates. These are your friends. When you retire, and move somewhere where you don't have friends, these are the people you talk to. He's someone I'll stay in contact with for the rest of my life."

North of the border: Some of the Cubs heard about the skirmish in the Milwaukee Brewers dugout on Thursday, and watched video of it on Friday. The Cubs season turned around after Carlos Zambrano and Michael Barrett had their shoving match June 1. Could it effect the Brewers?

"It had an effect on ours," Floyd said. "We started winning after that. You hate to see those things but they do happen. Like Prince [Fielder] said, 'What goes on in this locker room stays there.'

"In all my years of playing, I've seen it twice, and the first time it happened was over a girl, and it wasn't baseball related," Floyd said. "You really don't expect that's going to happen."

300 club: Prior to Glavine, the last two pitchers to reach 300 career wins tried for their milestone at Wrigley Field, but did not succeed.

On June 7, 2003, Roger Clemens took the loss as the Cubs beat the New York Yankees, 5-2, at Wrigley. Clemens went 6 1/3 innings, giving up two runs. The Cubs took a 3-1 lead in the seventh. Clemens picked up No. 300 in his next start, June 13, 2003, vs. St. Louis.

On Aug. 1, 2004, Maddux did not get a decision in the Cubs' 6-3 win against Philadelphia at Wrigley. He went six innings, gave up three runs, two earned. The Cubs trailed, 3-2, when he left the game. Maddux did get win No. 300 in his next start, Aug. 7, at San Francisco, going five innings in an 8-4 win.

Nolan Ryan preceded Clemens in the 300 club, picking up No. 300 in 1990 for Texas. His last game at Wrigley Field prior to his 300th win was Aug. 24, 1988.

Glavine is 14-13 all-time against the Cubs in 34 games, all starts. As a member of the Braves, he is 13-10 in 29 starts, and with the Mets, he's 1-3 in five starts. The lefty did beat the Cubs in seven consecutive starts as a Braves pitcher from 1991-94. However, he has lost his last two decisions and four of his last five. Since 1999, Glavine is 2-7 in 10 starts vs. the Cubs.

Details: Technically, the Cubs began Friday in sole possession of first place based on percentage points. However, if the season ended today, the Cubs would not automatically be given first place because they have played two fewer games than the Brewers.

If both the Cubs and Brewers were to make the playoffs as the division winner and the Wild Card winner, and they ended the season in a tie, then the division winner would be the team with the best head-to-head record in the season series. The Cubs are 7-5 against the Brewers, with three games remaining, Aug. 28-30.

Extra bases: Kerry Wood was activated before Friday's game, and caught the ceremonial first pitch from Pearl Jam rocker Eddie Vedder. ... The Cubs did not take batting practice Friday. "If you need too much BP in August, something is wrong," Piniella said. ... Eyre was amazed to see Cubs fans in St. Louis giving the players a standing ovation when they went out to stretch during the last road trip. "We've only tapped the surface of what these people will do," he said of the fans. ... Would Piniella ever consider moving Zambrano up in the batting order because he's such a good hitter? "I think it would be embarrassing for a position player to hit behind a pitcher," Piniella said. "I wouldn't do that." ... Umpire clubhouse attendant Jimmy Farrell is retiring after this season. Farrell has served at Wrigley Field for 26 years, and he turns 87 in January. "It's time," said Farrell, who wants to spend more time with his wife.

Minor matters: Jake Fox hit a two-out grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to give Iowa a 10-6 win over Tucson. Clay Rapada picked up the victory. ... Justin Berg gave up three runs on eight hits over seven innings in Tennessee's 5-3 win over Montgomery. ... Joel Santo gave up one run on four hits over seven innings in Daytona's 6-2 win over Jupiter. Ryan Harvey hit a two-out grand slam in the sixth. ... Robert Hernandez gave up six runs on eight hits over five innings in Peoria's 7-1 loss to West Michigan.

Jeff Samardzija wasn't the only Daytona player promoted to Double-A Tennessee. Pitcher Mitch Atkins and outfielder Matt Camp also moved up. Also, Tyler Colvin was placed on the disabled list because of shoulder soreness.

On deck: Lefty Ted Lilly will try to get a new winning streak going on Saturday when he starts Game 2 of the Cubs' weekend series against the Mets. Lilly's seven-game winning streak was snapped in his last start against Philadelphia. First pitch is scheduled for 2:55 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on FOX TV.

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