Hill's 'spot' start a strong one

CINCINNATI -- Rich Hill was in.

Then he was out.

Then he was lights out.

Hill was the regularly scheduled starter for Saturday's Cubs game against the Reds, but when manager Lou Piniella got to the Great American Ball Park, he decided to start rookie Sean Gallagher and bring Hill in as a reliever.

But Hill wound up starting and throwing 6 innings of 1-hit shutout ball as the Cubs beat the Reds 4-0.

"I said I'd prefer to start," said Hill, who finished the regular season 11-8 with a 3.92 ERA. "It was just who was going to start, who wasn't going to start. I was prepared to start, ready to go out there and just took it as a day that I would be starting, as a normal day."

Piniella said he acceded to Hill's wishes.

"He wanted to start," said Piniella, whose division-champion team improved to 85-76. "We were going to start Gallagher and bring Rich in around the third inning and let him go his 5 innings. I'm glad we started him. He really threw the ball well."

Hill hadn't started since the previous Saturday, and he's scheduled to work again this coming Saturday in Game 3 of the National League division series at Wrigley Field.

"Rich has pitched well every time we've given him a little more rest," Piniella said. "This was his seventh day. I told him, 'You pitch nice and relaxed with what good stuff you have, and more importantly, what the results are.'

"This was not only a good ballgame for him but a little bit of a learning experience for him, too."

Hill generally agreed.

"But also, keep that same attitude of staying aggressive and being on the attack and not veering off from your approach or not changing your approach no matter what the game is, if it's a game like today after we've already clinched or if today was a day to clinch," he said. "You go out with the same attitude every time."

Former Cub Buck Coats got the only hit for the Reds, a two-out double in the sixth. Hill said that if the no-hitter had stayed intact, he'd have wanted to remain in the game.

The season finale: Left-hander Ted Lilly will start today's regular-season finale, but he will pitch only 2-3 innings. Lilly will pitch Game 2 of the NLDS on Thursday.

"He wants to go through his pregame routine, and we'll probably let him throw 40 pitches or so," Piniella said. "He won't be going very long at all."

Ryan Theriot, who led off and played shortstop Saturday, will get the day off today.

Ward update: Pinch hitter Daryle Ward still has soreness in the area of his left thumb, which he jammed in Florida last week. If it's not better, the Cubs may have to keep him out of the NLDS.

"We're going to try to give him an at-bat (today) and see how he feels," Lou Piniella said. "Yesterday, he felt like he could go, and he hit a lot during the game in the cage. Today, he came back with some pretty good swelling.

"We're going to look at it tomorrow and probably make a determination on him no later than Tuesday after our workout."

Cubs 4, Reds 0

At the plate: Matt Murton and Ronny Cedeno homered as the Cubs gave their big guns the day off. Catcher Geovany Soto solidified his spot on the playoff roster with 2 doubles and a single. Felix Pie went 2-for-3. The Cubs outhit the Reds 10-1.

On the mound: Lefty Rich Hill (11-8) didn't allow a hit until former Cub Buck Coats doubled with two outs in the sixth inning. Hill finished after 6, giving up the 1 hit and no runs. He walked one and struck out four, throwing 79 pitches in a tuneup for Game 3 of the division series. Sean Marshall relieved Hill and struck out three in 2 innings. Scott Eyre finished with a strikeout in 1 inning.

-- Bruce Miles