PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) – Mark Prior had his best outing of the spring. Whether he’ll start the season on the Chicago Cubs’ active roster is still unclear.

With the rotation pretty much set a week before the Cubs break camp and with Wade Miller the top candidate to be the fifth starter, there might not be a spot for Prior. At least not right away.

Prior gave up four straight two-out singles in the first – the only four hits he allowed. But he surrendered only one run, thanks to a nice throw to the plate from left fielder Matt Murton to cut down a runner.

Prior threw 59 pitches, walked two and struck out three. He whizzed a fastball by Khalil Greene for the final out in the third. He hit 89 mph with his fastest pitch in a game called after five innings because of rain.

Prior was making just his third appearance and second start of the spring and has now worked only 7 1-3 innings. That’s well below the 25 to 27 innings Piniella said he wanted to give his starters.

“I felt good and the arm feels great,” Prior said. “There weren’t too many good swings off me and they didn’t really hit too many balls hard.”

When Prior completed his fourth inning by slipping a called third strike past former teammate Greg Maddux, he walked off the field and was greeted by a handshake and pat on the back from pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Prior entered the game with an 0-1 record and 18.90 ERA in two short outings. He’d also pitched four innings last week in an intrasquad game.

His performance Thursday came after Piniella said before the game that Miller was pretty much – but not 100 percent – set as the No. 5 starter, joining the rotation of Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis and Rich Hill.

But not so fast.

“We’ll see where we go from here. But obviously it was an improvement and I’m happy to see it,” Piniella said after the game, adding that Prior was able to get his breaking pitch over and also looked more comfortable on the mound.

Piniella said he didn’t know if Prior would pitch again this spring.

“Let’s see how he feels over the next couple of days and then we can determine what we do. I’m going to sit down and talk to the pitching coach,” he said.

The last three years have not been easy times for Prior, who enters this season with a 42-29 career record.

Prior has started each of the last three seasons on the disabled list – a sore Achilles (2004), sore elbow (2005) and last season a sore shoulder.

An 18-game winner in 2003, he was pitching when the Cubs were five outs away from the World Series in Game 6 of the NL championship series before losing to the Florida Marlins. In the three seasons that followed, he has just 18 total wins. Last year he was just 1-6 with a 7.21 ERA and limited to nine starts because of shoulder problems.

A slow start this spring led to speculation he’d start the season on the disabled list again or maybe even at Triple-A.

But Prior said he’s ready for another outing this spring and then will be ready to pitch.

“There are still some things I need to fine-tune and iron out,” he said. “We got a week left and I’m ready to rock and roll and get out of this place and move on. … I think about one more outing, work on some things and build up some stamina. I think I’m pretty close.”

To being ready to start the season?

“Yeah,” he said. “There wasn’t ever a doubt.”

One spot not completely settled is a relief job that could go to Angel Guzman or Kerry Wood, like Prior, a former ace in the rotation.

Wood, who is coming back from a partially torn rotator cuff, has been bothered by a sore triceps and will pitch Friday against the Giants. Wood was slowed earlier this spring after he fell getting out of a hot tub.

Notes: The Cubs optioned right-handed reliever Roberto Novoa to Triple-A Iowa. He had an 11.57 ERA in four relief outings this spring.