MESA, Ariz. -- Juan Cruz was a candidate for the Chicago Cubs rotation until they acquired Greg Maddux. Now, he's battling for a spot in the bullpen. He'll take a job, any job.

"I don't worry if they signed any player because they have to do their job and I have to do mine," Cruz said Saturday after throwing two shutout innings in the Cubs' 5-3 win over the San Francisco Giants. "I just have to keep doing my job. I just want to show I can pitch and do the best I can."

"Quite frankly, I'm proud of the way he's handled the fact that we got Maddux and he was supposedly next in line," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Saturday. "He's handled it very good, like he can learn from it rather than being the odd man out."

Spring Training is the time for Cruz to shine.

"We're in the 'earn it' business," Baker said. "It's up to him to perform, it's up to him to pitch well. He's in the mix. He's near the front of the line. Now, it's time for him to get his stuff together. He's been touted as a prospect for quite a while."

And Cruz knows it.

"I didn't even worry about (Maddux's presence)," Cruz said. "I didn't worry about the starting rotation. I just worried about doing my job. I don't make the decisions. Some things you can't control, you don't worry about."

Cruz could use a few wins. He's 5-18 over the last two seasons with the Cubs but has impressive stuff. The right-hander appeared in 25 games last year, including six starts. Baker hasn't quite figured him out.

"He's a bit of a puzzle," Baker said. "The ability is there but the consistent results haven't been there yet. You don't know if it's how he is or the fact that he's young or the inexperience. He was rushed thorugh this organization out of necessity.

"We're behind him, and we're backing him," Baker said. "We'll give him a chance to pitch. We need him. The rest is up to him."

And Cruz knows it.

"I know I can do better than last year. When? I don't know," Cruz said. "I know I can do better. That's why I'm still working hard. I know I can do better than last year. When I went to the Dominican (for winter ball), I worked hard because I know I can do better."

Cruz does appear to be a different person. He's not wearing his "Cookie Monster" t-shirt. His wife, Leonarda, is expecting the couple's first child around March 20.

"He seems a lot more mature this year than last year," Baker said. "He seems a lot calmer than he was last year."

The Cubs have tried to get Cruz to add weight to his skinny 6-foot-2 frame -- he's listed at 165 pounds -- in hopes it would help his durability.

"He is slight of build but so is Pedro (Martinez)," Baker said. "I was wrong on Pedro Martinez. I thought they made a mistake on Pedro years ago when they made him a starter. I thought he was doing great in the pen and that he'd never last. Fifteen years later, he's still pitching, and he's one of the best."

Cruz is prepared to do whatever the Cubs say. No controversy here.

"I can only do whatever they say," Cruz said. "If they want me to go to the minor leagues, I'll go. If they want me to be a reliever -- I don't make the decisions. I'll do whatever they say. They're the boss. They make the decision."