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Have the Chicago Cubs turned their season around, or did they just have the benefit of opening the second half against the terrible Washington Nationals?

It’s probably more of the latter, as the Cubs swept four from Washington and now sit alone in second place in the NL Central, two games behind the Cardinals. We should really see if Chicago is better when they begin a series with the Phillies tonight. The Phils have opened as -117 money line favorites for tonight’s opener on WagerWeb.com. They are 11-1 in their last 12 games as a favorite.

The Cubs won 11-3 on Sunday and had season highs in runs and hits (16). It was the most runs the Cubs have scored since beating San Diego 11-3 on May 14.

“I can’t remember the last time we scored 10 runs,” manager Lou Piniella said. “It was good to see.”

It was the first four-game sweep for the Cubs since taking four from Milwaukee in Miller Park last July 28-Aug. 1, and their first on the road against the Nationals franchise since May 13-15, 1977, when they were still the Montreal Expos.

Ted Lilly (9-6, 3.18) takes the mound tonight to try and keep the roll going for Chicago. Lilly is 26-12 with a 3.42 ERA over his last 48 outings after going 0-3 with a 9.16 ERA to begin the ‘08 season. Lilly, who had his start pushed back two days because of knee inflammation, makes his first start since July 11.

The Cubs haven’t won a series overall in Philadelphia since 2001.

Philadelphia has won eight straight, separating it from the pack in the NL East. Philadelphia’s winning streak is its longest since a nine-game run April 30-May 9, 2006. A big reason for this surge is Jimmy Rollins, who is hitting .397 (23 for 58) with eight doubles, a homer, eight RBIs, five stolen bases and 10 walks over his last 14 games. It has raised the 2007 NL MVP’s batting average from .205 to .236, and has come after he went 0 for 27 in his previous seven contests.

Rodrigo Lopez (1-0, 3.18) gets the call tonight. He left his July 8 start after five innings because of right shoulder inflammation. In 11 1/3 innings this season, the 33-year-old has given up four runs.

The Cubs are 5-1 in their last 6 games vs. a right-handed starter.

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