Lilly's arm, 12-hit attack help Cubs beat Cardinals 9-3

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Rich Hill hangs his head on the mound as Cubs manager Lou Piniella comes out to pull him from the game during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Friday, May 2, 2008, in St. Louis. Hill was pulled out of the game in the first inning after loading the bases and walking in a run. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ST. LOUIS—Ted Lilly worked seven solid innings, recorded his 1,000th strikeout and added his second career extra-base hit, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 9-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.

Mike Fontenot hit a three-run homer and had a career-best four RBIs for Chicago, which finished with 12 hits and won for only the third time in nine games. Geovany Soto had a two-run double in a six-run fourth.

Kyle Lohse (3-1) faced 10 batters in the fourth and allowed eight runs overall in six-plus innings, entering the game with a 2.36 ERA and exiting at 3.79.

Albert Pujols hit his sixth homer for St. Louis and has reached base in all 31 games, two shy of his career-best start in 2005. Yadier Molina also went deep.

Lilly (2-4) hit a season best for innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA in his last three starts, recovering from an 0-3 record and 9.16 ERA his first four outings.

Lilly struck out four, giving him 1,002 for his career, and walked none.

Kosuke Fukudome had a pair of doubles among his three hits and drove in two runs. The Cubs had a season-high six doubles.

Seven straight Cubs reached safely with one out in the fourth, with Lohse unraveling after giving up hits to Lee and Fukudome after being ahead 0-2 in the count against both. Fukudome doubled off the base of the right-field wall for an RBI and Soto had a two-run double before Fontenot hit a three-run drive into the St. Louis bullpen for a 6-0 lead.

Fukudome was elevated to the cleanup spot from fifth with Aramis Ramirez nursing a sore left wrist after getting hit by a pitch on Friday. Ramirez could be back in the lineup on Sunday.

The Cubs batted around again in a three-run seventh with Lilly's leadoff double chasing Lohse and the rest of the damage off Russ Springer. Soriano and Fukudome had RBI doubles and Fontenot walked with the bases loaded.