Villanueva adds veteran presence to bullpen

CHICAGO -- Right-hander Carlos Villanueva was available out of the bullpen for Sunday's series finale against the Mets, one day after losing his spot in the rotation because of Matt Garza's impending return.

The move adds a veteran weapon to a relief corps that has been impressive as of late. The 29-year-old has appeared mostly as a reliever in his career -- 245 of his 309 career appearances entering Sunday had come in relief -- so manager Dale Sveum isn't concerned about Villanueva getting back in the groove and finding a routine.

"He's done it many, many times, so I'm sure he has his own gig that way," Sveum said.

Sveum said that Villanueva will pitch in multiple roles and that the Cubs will not have a typical long man waiting for a starter to falter.

"Obviously, he's built up to pitch very long, but he's not that typical long guy where you sit there and you say, 'Oh, we have to save him in case our starter blows out in the first inning or gets beat up,'" Sveum said. "You don't do that with him. He'll just be one of the guys."