Sat Sep 29 20:13:56 2007

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Reds limited to one hit as Cubs post shutout win

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Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Rich Hill, Sean Marshall and Scott Eyre combined on a one-hit shutout as the Chicago Cubs downed the Cincinnati Reds, 4-0, at Great American Ball Park.

Hill (11-8) allowed just one hit, walked one and struck out four over six innings to win his third straight decision. The left-hander, who has also won five of his last six decisions, had his no-hit bid broken up with two outs in the sixth.

Matt Murton and Ronny Cedeno each homered for Chicago, which secured the National League Central division title with its win on Friday night in the opener of this regular-season ending three-game set. Geovanny Soto ended 3- for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for the Cubs, who are still waiting to see who their playoff opponent will be.

Starter Aaron Harang (16-6) was the lone bright spot for an otherwise depleted Reds squad. The right-hander allowed four runs on nine hits, striking out a career-high 13 without walking a batter for Cincinnati, which has dropped seven straight.

Buck Coats had the lone hit of the game for the Reds, who failed to put a runner in scoring position the entire game.

The Cubs got solo homers in the first and second innings by Murton and Cedeno, respectively. Then, in the third, Soto doubled home the first run of the frame and scored on Felix Pie's base hit that followed for the 4-0 cushion.

Hill, meanwhile, was cruising. He was perfect until walking Edwin Encarnacion with one out in the fifth and lost his no-hit bid with two outs in the sixth when Coats came through with a pinch-hit single.

Hill responded by getting Jeff Keppinger to pop out to second to end the inning and finish his outing. Marshall then worked the next two innings, working around only a one-out walk in the eighth and Eyre closed it out in the ninth.

Game Notes

David Weathers worked one inning of relief for the Reds...The Cubs lead the season series 9-8, having won five of the last six...Pie ended 2- for-4...Murton had two hits and scored twice. The homer was his eighth of the season...Cedeno hit his fourth homer of the campaign...Harang ended the season with a career-high tying 16 wins. He lost his final two decisions.