"Kosuke Fukudome sat out Thursday with a left knee sprain he suffered while sliding into third base Wednesday night, and may be unable to play during the final series in Houston.

"He's a tough guy," manager Mike Quade said. "… We'll be careful, and if he's ready he'll let us know."

If Fukudome can't play, Wednesday may have been his last game as a Cub because they are likely to trade him this winter to open up right field for Tyler Colvin. The Cubs probably will have to eat a good portion of the remaining $13.5 million on his contract to find a taker.

Stepping up: The Cubs bullpen has a 1.31 ERA over the last 22 games, led by closer Carlos Marmol and set-up man Sean Marshall. The two mainstays and Andrew Cashner combined for three perfect innings on Thursday.

Quade said pitching coach Larry Rothschild and bullpen coach Lester Strode deserve much of the credit for the improvement."