TUCSON, Ariz. -- Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior was able to play catch Friday, and Kerry Wood may throw a simulated game Saturday.

Prior, bothered by inflammation in his right elbow, threw long toss in Mesa, and could be on the mound in a few days. He still has some mild discomfort in his elbow, Cubs manager Dusty Baker said.

Wood, who has bursitis in his right shoulder, played catch on Friday and did some pitcher's fielding drills.

Baker held off on naming his Opening Day starter, saying he wanted to wait until he could announce the entire rotation. Since neither Wood or Prior are expected to be ready for the first series April 4-6 against Arizona, Greg Maddux, Carlos Zambrano and whoever is the fifth starter will pitch in that series. The fifth starter hasn't been named.

"One thing for sure, I'm going to name it," Baker said of his Opening Day pitcher.

Baker was encouraged after talking to Wood.

"I know he's doing pretty good," Baker said. "He told me the other day that he felt better than he had all spring, even before the injury."

The Cubs aren't the only team to be bitten by the injury bug. New York Yankees' reliever Mariano Rivera has bursitis in his shoulder. Baker said he checks the daily injury log.

"It's not only here in Chicago, it's everywhere," he said.

Baseball and Washington: Baker watched the NCAA basketball action Thursday instead of the Congressional hearings on steroid use in baseball.

"It was St. Patrick's Day," he said. "My only [comment] is Jose [Canseco] opened Pandora's box."

Outfielder Todd Hollandsworth watched about five seconds of TV footage on C-Span and saw Curt Schilling.

"It's hard to have a reaction," Hollandsworth said. "Everybody wants steroids out of the game. As far as the penalties are concerned, I can't say I've given it enough thought to come up with a legitimate punishment. Is it a problem now? I don't know. The bottom line is it's a drug and it shouldn't be in the sport and we're doing what we need to do to correct it.

"My personal opinion is stop dwelling on the past, let's make the game better for tomorrow and for today," Hollandsworth said. "You're not going to change the past. It seems like there's a large effort to postmark all of this.

"It doesn't matter how it originated, how it got here, but it's here and it's got to be dealt with. I think that's the key to the whole situation, and not try to find the origin of the problem."

Step by step: Angel Guzman's career has been slowed by a shoulder injury, and the young right-hander was projected for the minor leagues this year to gain more experience. On Friday, he made his third spring appearance and gave up one run over three innings Friday against the White Sox. He's thinking big.

"I faced this team two years ago in the big league camp and at that time they had Magglio Ordonez and Frank Thomas in the lineup," Guzman said. "They didn't have those guys today, but I thought I faced them the right way."

With Wood and Prior slowed by injuries, could Guzman jump into the big league rotation?

"A lot of things are going on in the clubhouse," Guzman said. "I think all I have to do is not put too much pressure on my mind and do what I have to do and I think with the job I did today, let's see. I showed them I'm ready. Let's see what's going to happen."

"He has to go down to pitch," Baker said. "He has to learn how to win. He definitely has good stuff."

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Guzman, 23, started last year at Class A Daytona, and went 3-1 with a 4.20 ERA in seven starts, then went 0-3 in four starts at Double-A West Tenn before he was shut down for the season. His rehab has gone well, and he will throw four innings in his next spring outing.

"In the third inning, it was better and I felt really good," Guzman said. "My fastball was there, my breaking pitch was there. I felt really good about it."

Matchups: Michael Barrett was behind the plate with Greg Maddux on Thursday, and Baker said he projects the two to be matched up in the regular season.

"Greg has an idea of what he wants to throw during the game, no matter who's catching," Baker said. "He can help Michael's learning curve by throwing to him. It'll help Michael not only now, but in the future."

Barrett batted .287 with 16 homers and 65 RBIs last year, his first in Chicago. He would spend the days he wasn't starting with bullpen coach Juan Lopez to work on his defensive skills.

"Michael last year had a great year for us," Baker said. "We think there's still a lot more left in there. He's still learning about hitting, he's still learning about game calling, he's still learning about footwork. He's constantly working. If anything, we have to kind of stop him sometimes from working."

Top of the order: Jerry Hairston Jr. led off Friday against the White Sox. On Thursday against Oakland, Hairston led off and Corey Patterson batted second. The Cubs are experimenting to find the right combination for the season.

"That's why you're here in Spring Training to figure out the best lineup," Baker said.

Patterson, who is batting .226 this spring, has been working in the batting cages with a device designed to improve a hitter's ability to track the ball. Baker is impressed with his effort.

"I've said it 100 times, [a leadoff batter] is the hardest guy in baseball to find," Baker said. "Everybody's looking for that guy, everybody's looking for that point guard."

Second wind: The Cubs have about two weeks to go in Spring Training, and some of the players are gasping for that second wind.

"I think the longer you play the game and the longer you've been around, you realize it does happen," Hollandsworth said. "It's almost like you get bored a little bit. You try to keep your edge as much as you can. Then you step on the accelerator about five games before the start of the season as best you can and get yourself locked in."

Roster moves: Second baseman Richard Lewis and catcher Geovany Soto were optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday. Danny Klassen and Peter Bergeron, both non-roster invitees, were returned to the minor league camp. The moves reduced the spring camp roster to 41.

Extra bases: The Cubs split the squad on Saturday. Carlos Zambrano will start against Milwaukee in Mesa, while Glendon Rusch will start in Phoenix against Oakland. ... Saturday's game in Mesa will be broadcast on WGN-TV and WGN radio.