Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly covers third base and tags out the Diamondbacks' Conor Jackson during a rundown in the fifth inning.

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PHOENIX — Reed Johnson got the big hit for the Chicago Cubs, a grand slam in the eighth inning. But it was left-hander Ted Lilly's single that drew praise from manager Lou Piniella.

Johnson had three hits, including the homer that broke open a close game, and the Cubs routed the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-6 Wednesday night.

Lilly (10-6) allowed six hits in six innings and had the RBI single and a stolen base to help Chicago win for the second time in six games since the All-Star break. The Cubs remained one game ahead of Milwaukee in the NL Central.

"Obviously, the big blow was the grand slam, but Lilly did his part, a little base hit," Piniella said.

Lilly, who entered the game hitting .189, tied the game with a run-scoring single during a three-run fifth that gave the Cubs a 4-2 lead. Newly activated Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Theriot drove in runs with groundouts.

"I mean, the hit, I don't know how to explain that one," Lilly said. "That one kind of worked out. I didn't hit it hard or anything — caught a break there."

Lilly later stole third and scored on Theriot's grounder.

"It felt good on the bases," Lilly said. "If we were going to have an opportunity, I felt like I needed to take advantage of any opportunity there was to take a base or whatever."

Arizona cut the lead to 4-3 on Conor Jackson's run-scoring triple in the fifth, one of his three hits. Chris Young had three doubles.

Doug Davis (3-4) scattered five hits over seven innings, striking out six.

"I couldn't stay away from the big inning tonight," Davis said. "No outs, second and third, Lilly comes up with a good hit. Not only that, (but) when he gets on second, he steals third. That was a huge turning point."

Lilly threw 115 pitches over six innings, the most he's thrown in a game all season, allowing six hits and striking out six.

"I guess my stuff was pretty good," Lilly said. "I was very erratic. I was behind in the count a lot tonight. I don't know how many guys I walked but it was a lot. So, more than not having good stuff, I was just falling behind, not commanding my fastball."

After Jackson's triple in the fifth, Mark Reynolds struck out and Young hit a grounder to third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who threw home, getting Jackson caught in a rundown. Young went to second on the play but was picked off by Lilly trying to steal third.

"Early on, for the first few innings, we had some opportunities we didn't cash in on," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "But we had been swinging the bats better. We had been better in those situations. There were a couple of man-on-thirds with less than two outs that we didn't get in, and those end up costing you as the game goes on a little bit."

Ramirez ended an 0-for-26 slump with an eighth-inning single. Chicago scored twice off Arizona reliever Micah Owings, who was lifted after surrendering a bases-loaded walk to Mark DeRosa. But Johnson followed with his fourth homer, off Leo Rosales, to give Chicago a 10-3 lead.