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Lilly, Cubs aim to take series vs. Giants

Jul 19, 2007 - 2:00 PM San Francisco (39-53) at Chicago Cubs (49-44) 2:20 pm EDT

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Ted Lilly and the Chicago Cubs are getting hot at the right time.

Lilly and the Cubs aim to beat the San Francisco Giants for the third time in four games when the teams face off Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Chicago crushed San Francisco, 12-1, on Wednesday to win for the 17th time in its last 22 games.

Carlos Zambrano pitched five shutout innings and Koyie Hill had a career-high five RBI for the Cubs, who are 27-15 since June 1 - the best record in baseball over that stretch.

Lilly (9-4, 3.51 ERA) has been a key part of that success, winning his last five decisions - including four straight starts. The lefthander has yielded just one run in each of his last three starts, including allowing four hits in eight innings of a 9-3 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday.

Lilly has not faced the Giants since 2003 when he was a member of the Oakland Athletics and is 1-1 with a 6.27 ERA in three starts against them.

The Giants, who have lost six of their last seven contests, turn to Matt Morris (7-5, 3.86) to stop the downward tide.

Morris is 0-2 in his last five starts, including an 8-7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last Saturday in which the veteran righthander earned a no-decision. The 32-year-old surrendered six runs and eight hits - two homers - in five innings of that contest.

San Francisco also hopes aging slugger Barry Bonds will be back in the lineup after missing the first three games of this series due to sore legs.

Bonds is also mired in an 0-for-21 slump, his worst since a hitless stretch of the same length from April 5-12, 2001 - the year he broke Mark McGwire's single-season home run record with 73.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy says he expects the 42-year-old left fielder to be back in the lineup for the next game here.

"He's fine, he's feeling better," Bochy said. "I think he's all set to go (Thursday), barring all setbacks."

Bochy said before Wednesday's game that Bonds would be available as a pinch-hitter, but there wasn't a need since the Cubs posted a blowout.

Bonds has two homers in eight at-bats against Lilly.