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Lilly takes mound for Cubs against Reds

Aug 20, 2008 - 10:12 AM Cincinnati (55-71) at Chi Cubs (77-48) 8:05 p.m. EDT

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Ted Lilly's stellar season has gotten lost in the spotlight of being in a rotation featuring Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden and Ryan Dempster. However, the lefthander has given the Chicago Cubs everything they need from their fourth starter.

Lilly hopes to notch his second-best win total in a season as the Cubs take on the lowly Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.

Coming off five straight seasons of 12-plus victories, Lilly (12-6, 4.32 ERA) has been stellar at the back end of the rotation for the Cubs, who sit six games above the Milwaukee Brewers (72-55) in the National League Central.

Zambrano and Dempster have combined for 26 wins, and Harden has been a revelation since being acquired from the Oakland Athletics prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. Harden has a 1.50 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 42 innings in the NL.

Lilly, however, has one loss since June 4 - a poor outing in which he surrendered four runs and six hits in 2 2/3 innings against the Reds on July 10. In his last 20 starts, he is 11-2 and has pitched six innings in 17 of those outings.

On April 17, the lefthander was tagged for five runs and six hits in six innings against the Reds in what turned out to be a 9-2 beating.

Cincinnati will counter with Bronson Arroyo (10-10, 5.51), who has won six of his last 10 starts. The 31-year-old righthander rattled off five straight victories after being roughed up for 10 runs and 11 hits in one inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 24.

Arroyo has thrown at least six innings in eight of his last 10 efforts.

The Cubs, who have won seven of eight and 17 of 21, received seven dominant outings by Harden in the opener's 5-0 triumph. Harden also recorded his first major league RBI, when he produced a sacrifice bunt to plate Geovany Soto in the fifth inning.