Ted Lilly won his third game in a row and struck out eleven yesterday in Chicago’s 8-5 victory over San Diego.

Lilly pitched six innings and gave up six hits, four runs, and a walk in the outing, and improved to 4-4 with a 5.33 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. This start comes on the heels of a seven-inning, one run, one walk, three hit, and ten strikeout win against the Diamondbacks on May 9th. Lilly is throwing 8.88 K/9 so far this season, which is the best rate he’s posted since 2000, and up a tick from last year’s 7.57/9. His BB/9 is 3.02, worse than last year’s 2.39/9, but still within his usual range. He’s not apparently lucky or unlucky so far if you take his .306 BABIP, but his xFIP, according to the Hardball Times, is still 4.10–better than his current 5.33, at least.

The Cubs batters held their own slugfest while Lilly was on the mound, with Alfonso Soriano leading the charge with a solo home run in the first and a two-RBI single in the second. He’s batting .250 this year. Geovany Soto, who’s hitting .321, also knocked three RBI, two with a home run and one with a single. Soto’s now hit seven home runs on the season; Soriano, six.