(Sports Network) - Ted Lilly is expected to return from the disabled list in time to make tonight's start and the Cubs couldn't have picked a better opponent for him to shake off the rust against.

Lilly and Chicago begin a three-game series against the offensively-challenged San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

The 33-year-old Lilly has been sidelined since July 21 due to inflammation in his shoulder. One day before being sidelined, Lilly gave up nine runs (7 earned) over four innings in a loss to the Phillies, dropping him to 9-7 on the season with a 3.59 earned run average.

Chicago's lone 2009 All-Star representative, Lilly hurled five scoreless innings on Wednesday in a rehab start with Class A Peoria, scattering two hits and a walk.

"He said he felt really good the other day, so we'll let him throw 85 or 90 pitches the first time back," manager Lou Piniella told Chicago's Web site.

Lilly is 5-2 with a 3.55 ERA in his career versus the Padres and has split two meetings against them this year. In his lone start at Petco Park this season, he was tagged for five runs over 6 1/3 innings of a May 24 defeat.

San Diego notched a home sweep over the Cubs in that set from May 22-24. They outscored the Cubs 14-3 and have bested the club in four straight at Petco Park. Chicago did not a home sweep this year versus San Diego in mid-May.

Though they were able to plate some runs earlier in the season versus the Cubs, the Padres remain last in the majors with just 461 runs scored. The club is also hitting just .242 as a team.

That number could be even worse if not for Adrian Gonzalez, who belted his 32nd homer of the season in Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Cardinals. Gonzalez is hitting .568 (21-for-37) over an eight-game hit streak with three homers and eight runs batted in.

The left-handed slugger is 4-for-15 lifetime versus Lilly with two homers.

Gonzalez ended 4-for-5 in Sunday's loss, which saw San Diego closer Heath Bell blow a 5-4 ninth-inning lead after a pair of rain delays. It was the Padres' fourth loss in a row.

"I let the team down," Bell told San Diego's Web site. "I'm really ticked off. This team needs me to go out and not do what I did [Sunday]."

Kevin Correia starts for the Padres and he is coming off a win over Milwaukee on Wednesday. The 28-year-old righty improved to 8-9 with a 4.51 ERA this year.

Correia is 0-2 with an 11.25 ERA in six games lifetime versus the Cubs, two of those starts. He has yet to face the club this season.

He faces a well-rested Cubs squad tonight after Chicago had its finale of a three-game set with Pittsburgh postponed on Sunday after a 3 1/2 hour rain delay. The Cubs plated 20 runs in the shortened set, with the bulk of that coming in Friday's 17-2 victory.

Chicago, which had lost five straight before its two wins over the Pirates, trails the first-place Cardinals by five games in the National League Central.