Theriot not worried about slow start

CINCINNATI - Shortstop Ryan Theriot was in good spirits before Friday night's game, despite coming off an 0-for-11 series in Atlanta.

In Friday's night's series opener against the Reds, Theriot flied out leading off the game but followed with an infield single to deep short and a solid single to left-center. He also scored his first run of the season.

"I'm hitting the ball well," he said. "I feel good at the plate. I'm hitting the ball hard. It's just one of those things, I guess. You just keep doing what you're doing, and they'll fall.

Theriot went on to praise the Braves' pitching staff, which held the Cubs to 16-for-91 (.176).

"Even saying that, I'm seeing the ball good and hitting the ball hard," he said. "Every game, you go back to that. But that's part of it. There will be some times when you don't hit them good and they fall in for hits. Just do what you're doing and stay the course, and they'll fall in."

Cubs manager Lou Piniella said he didn't realize Theriot hadn't had a hit.

"He's not off the schneid?" Piniella said. "His batting average is zero? Really? I didn't realize he was on the schneid. I might have to drop him to the eighth hole here soon. (Piniella was kidding about that.) He's hit a few balls hard.

"Prado made a couple nice plays off of him at second base. I know he lined out to the first baseman last night. He'll hit. Theriot's a good hitter. I hope he doesn't start pressing. Just relax, get a good pitch to hit and hit it."

Playing it Koyie: Koyie Hill started behind the plate for a second straight game. Lou Piniella said that Geovany Soto will catch Carlos Zambrano in Saturday's afternoon game.

Soto had a poor spring at the plate, and he began this year 1-for-6. Piniella again talked of the importance of Soto being productive at the plate.

"I like Koyie the way he calls a ballgame, a really good defensive catcher," Piniella said. "When a team isn't scoring many runs, the more defense that you have on the field, the better. Is he going to catch more? We need Soto to hit, I've said that before. That's the key to this whole thing, how well Soto swings the bat. And we'll leave it at that."

Minor matters: Shortstop phenom Starlin Castro went 2-for-4 with a triple, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base for Class AA Tennessee on Thursday in a 4-3 victory over Mississippi in the season opener.

Pitcher Andrew Cashner started and worked 41/3 innings, giving up 3 hits while walking two and striking out 10, including the first seven he faced. He threw 82 pitches.

For Class A Daytona, Rafael Dolis, who went to spring training with the big club, pitched 5 scoreless innings of 2-hit ball in a 3-0 loss to Brevard County.