Mon Jun 30 12:01:14 2008

Comment | Email | Print

Cubs bring struggles into San Francisco

---

(Sports Network) - Ted Lilly will try to pitch the recently-struggling Chicago Cubs back into the win column when he takes the ball tonight in the opener of a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

The Cubs have lost four in a row and five of their last six games to watch their lead in the National League Central shrink to 2 1/2 games over the St. Louis Cardinals. They were just swept in three games over the weekend by the cross-city rival Chicago White Sox to open a 10-game road trip.

Lilly will try to keep his unbeaten streak intact Monday night, as he sports a 3-0 record with a 3.42 earned run average in his last four starts. He earned the win over Baltimore on Wednesday, when he yielded four runs and five hits in seven innings of a 7-4 victory.

The left-hander, who has lasted at least six innings in each of his previous five outings, is 8-5 with a 4.74 ERA in 17 trips to the mound. He has won eight of his last 10 decisions after losing his first three of the season.

Lilly is 2-1 in four career starts against the Giants.

In Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Pale Hose at U.S. Cellular Field, Ronny Cedeno drove in the Cubs' lone run. Starter Sean Marshall suffered the loss after permitting three runs on five hits in seven innings of work.

The Cubs are 16-23 away from Wrigley Field this season and will also visit the division-rival Cardinals for three games at Busch Stadium on this current swing.

San Francisco will kick off a seven-game homestand tonight and is 14-24 as the host in 2008. The Giants have won two straight and four of their last six games, including Sunday's 11-1 pounding of the Oakland Athletics in the finale of a three-game interleague series from McAfee Coliseum.

Rich Aurilia hit a two-run homer and matched a career-high with five RBI, while John Bowker added two RBI for the Giants. Ray Durham, Bengie Molina, Aaron Rowand and Jose Castillo each knocked in a run during the win.

Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez notched the win by limiting Oakland to just one run on four hits in seven innings.

San Francisco will also host the NL West-rival Los Angeles Dodgers for three games on this homestand.

AT&T Park hasn't been too friendly for Giants starter Barry Zito, who will take the ball in Monday's series opener. Zito is 0-7 with a 7.34 earned run average in eight home starts this season. However, he did end a personal two- start losing streak his last time out Wednesday at Cleveland, when Zito tossed 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 triumph.

Zito, a left-hander, is 3-11 with a 5.91 ERA in 16 starts this season. The 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner also owns a 1-1 record with a 3.15 earned run average through three career appearances against the Cubs.

Chicago and San Francisco are meeting for the first time since the Cubs won five of seven meetings a year ago. The Cubs won two of three games as the visitor in this series from August 21-23, 2007.