Piniella in no rush to mull playoff roster
MIAMI -- Cubs manager Lou Piniella stressed again Wednesday that the Cubs have not even discussed a playoff roster.
He also gave a reason why.
"I think Jim was a little superstitious," Piniella said, referring to general manager Jim Hendry. "I haven't thought about it very much at all. I really haven't -- number of pitchers. I think that'll probably be the biggest decision. I think that'll dictate what we can do or not do player-position wise.
"We've got plenty of time to make those decisions. The season ends Sunday, the regular season. The playoffs aren't until Wednesday. There's plenty of time."
When and if the Cubs clinch, then they can start thinking about who makes it and who doesn't for the National League division series.
"I haven't given it one bit of thought," Piniella said. "I think Jim started to, and he backed off. He started to a couple days ago. The only conversation we had was on the airplane coming here on Monday. He said let's wait. That's fine."
Rotation set: Steve Trachsel will start today's finale against the Marlins, as scheduled. For the weekend series at Cincinnati, Carlos Zambrano opens Friday, followed by Rich Hill and Ted Lilly.
The rotation keeps Zambrano on four days' rest and, more important, puts him in line to pitch Game 1 of the division series next Wednesday, if the Cubs make it.
Hill gets an extra day of rest, and it's likely the Cubs would skip Lilly on Sunday if they clinch the NL Central before then. That would allow Lilly to pitch the second game of the division series.
"It works out quite well," Lou Piniella said. "The big thing is it lets Zambrano pitch on his fifth day. That being the case, it allows us to pitch him on his fifth day for the first game of the playoffs, which makes perfect sense.
"And Hill, I think every time we've given him a little more time, he's actually pitched better. So I think it's good for him, too."
Experience wanted: Jason Kendall was back behind the plate Wednesday after rookie Geovany Soto started five straight games.
Look for Kendall most of the way now.
"I think you'll see us stay as experienced as we can," Lou Piniella said. "I gave him a nice rest. I gave his thumb a nice rest. I gave him a nice rest behind home plate. I think in the situation that we're in, we stay as veteran as we can and utilize that experience. I would expect him to catch, for sure, four out of the five remaining games, possibly all five."
Strikeout kings: Cubs pitchers entered Wednesday leading the major leagues in strikeouts, with 1,174. The Cubs have led the big leagues in strikeouts in each of the last six seasons, beginning in 2001. They're looking to become the first team to lead the majors in strikeouts for seven straight years since the Dodgers (1957-63).
Congrats: Cubs scouting guru Gary Hughes will receive a lifetime achievement award from Baseball America magazine. Hughes will be honored during the winter meetings.