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Lilly targets fifth win this month

May 25, 2008 - 3:27 PM Chicago Cubs (29-20) at Pittsburgh (23-26) 1:35 pm EDT

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Considering the way Ted Tilly started the season, few could have expected him to be one of the hottest pitchers in May.

Lilly seeks his fifth win in as many starts this month when the Chicago Cubs meet the Pittsburgh Pirates in the rubber game of a three-game set on Sunday.

A 15-game winner last season, Lilly (5-4, 5.14 ERA) was abysmal in April, going 1-4 with a 6.46 ERA, allowing four runs or more in each of his first four turns.

However, he started to turn things around toward the end of the month and has been red-hot in May, going 4-0 with a 3.55 ERA while allowing opponents to hit just .202 against him.

The lefthander was solid again in Monday's 7-2 win over Houston, yielding two runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts.

Chicago could use another solid start from him after using seven pitchers in Saturday's 5-4, 14-inning loss against the Pirates - the third extra-innings game in 11 meetings between the teams.

Pittsburgh counters with Paul Maholm (2-5, 5.03), who is hoping to end a personal three-game slide. The lefthander took the loss in a 7-2 defeat to Milwaukee on Tuesday, surrendering four runs and nine hits over six-plus innings.