Lilly right where he wants to be
PHOENIX -- When Ted Lilly went looking for a team last winter as a free agent, this was the kind of moment he had in mind.
Lilly starts for the Cubs on Thursday in Game 2 of the National League division series against the Diamondbacks, looking to add to what has been a sparkling first season for the left-hander on the North Side.
"I guess I just feel like I'm lucky to be in this situation, to be able to be here and have an opportunity to start an important game for the franchise," Lilly said. "I mean, this is all you asked for going into the off-season last year. This was one of the most important things, to have the opportunity to play in October."
Lilly will be opposed by Arizona left-hander Doug Davis, the former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher who was 13-12 in the regular season but who won 6 of 7 starts from Aug. 4 through Sept. 4.
Davis doesn't throw hard and is especially tough on right-handers.
"Everyone calls me a crafty left-hander, but I don't consider myself one," Davis said. "I consider myself more of a contact pitcher because I pitch in a lot more. I'd rather compare myself to an Al Leiter or an Andy Pettitte."
Davis is aware of the Cubs' power, which starts at the top of the order with Alfonso Soriano.
"Soriano has a lot of power, but the main thing is to keep him off base," Davis said. "A solo home run is not going to lose the ballgame for you. Then you can worry about Aramis (Ramirez) and Derrek Lee with nobody on instead of giving up 3-run home runs and having a big change in the game."
Lilly went 15-8 this season but often pitched in the shadow of controversial teammate Carlos Zambrano.
This will be Lilly's second postseason start and fifth playoff appearance. With Oakland in 2003, Lilly allowed 2 hits over 7 innings in starting Game 3 of the AL division series against Boston at Fenway Park.
Lilly would like nothing more than to pitch the same kind of game at Chase Field.
"I have a huge responsibility to my teammates and the city, and I feel fortunate that I'm in that situation where there's people that rely on me and expect me to do certain things and to be able to contribute," Lilly said.
The Arizona lineup presents different challenges for Lilly as opposed to what Davis must face.
"You look at their lineup, and they don't have a lot of guys that have huge numbers, huge individual numbers, but it's a scrappy lineup that's been under-appreciated by the rest of the league, possibly, and has been taken lightly," Lilly said.
"You have to know going into it that they're not going to lay down and give you anything and will fight for every last out."