Cliff Lee Does it All, as Phillies Win Second Game Today
By: Mike Reisman
Just less than 12 hours after defeating the Reds in a 19 inning fiasco, the Phillies took the field to try to win the final game of this this four game series. They Phillies put Cliff Lee on the mound to face Homer Bailey and to try to earn his fourth win of the year.
The Phillies scored early in the 1st, getting a run from a Ryan Howard double that drove home Michael Martinez. They would add to their lead in the 3rd, as Raul Ibanez hit his 6th home run of the year, a three-run shot, making the score 4-0. The Reds would not give up without a fight though, scoring two runs on a 4th inning single, and tying the game on a Jay Bruce two run homer, giving him 11 RBIs on the series.
The Phillies would respond in their half of the 6th, as Cliff Lee would help his own cause with a bases-loaded ground-rule double. Michael Martinez would hit a sac fly the next at-bat, giving the Phillies a 7-4 lead.
However, neither Lee nor the rest of the Phillies were done, and the next inning, Cliff Lee stepped back into the box, getting an RBI single, giving him 3 RBIs for the game. Martinez would, once again, get an RBI the next at-bat, this time with a single.
The Phillies would finish off the scoring in the 8th inning, when Chase Utley hit his first home run of the year, a solo home run that barely made it over the wall, making the game 10-4. That would be the final score, as Cliff Lee got the win to improve to 4-4.
Today was an overall good performance for the Phillies, especially when you take into consideration that this is their second game today. Today was especially notable for Cliff Lee, as he went 2-4 with three RBIs at the plate. His 4 ER and 10 hits allowed were not exactly spectacular, however, Lee settled down significantly after allowing the runs. Lee also had eight strikeouts, a stat that is more than good enough on a day that your team scores 10 runs.
Today was also a good day for the rest of the Phillies hitters, as everybody got a hit, and four players had more than one hit. One especially exciting moment though, was Chase Utley's home run, his first since September 26th 2010. Though Utley has not had the best return to the big leagues, nobody expected him to just comeback and return to All-Star form immediately. This home run is definitely a sign that Utley is returning to form, and is getting used to MLB pitching.
The Phillies travel to New York tomorrow to begin a three game set with the Mets, as Roy Oswalt is scheduled to face Chris Capuano. The game time is 7:10 PM.