Cliff Lee Continues His Dominance, Throws Third Straight Shutout Against Red Sox
By: Mike Reisman
This year in the MLB, the league average ERA is 3.83, meaning that, theoretically the average team gives up just less than four earned runs per game. Assuming that over three games a team gives up four runs twice and three runs once, they will have given up 11 runs in 27 innings (bare with me there is a point to this). With his performance tonight,Cliff Lee has pitched all 27 innings of his last three games, not allowing a single run. To put that into perspective, in his last 27 innings Roy Halladay has allowed six runs, giving him an ERA of just 2.00. After earning his 9th win tonight against a Red Sox team that many think is the best in the MLB, its fair to say that Cliff Lee is well above the league average, and well worth the money the Phillies paid for him.
Tonight was the first game in a series with the Boston Red Sox that many think will foreshadow this year's World Series, and Cliff Lee pitched like he normally does in the playoffs, absolutely decimating the Red Sox hitters. Lee didn't allow any hits until Marco Scutaro's single which led off the 6th inning. Lee would only allow one other hit, an 8th inning double, and he would strike out five while only walking two hitters.
Since Cliff Lee has started to focus on just going out and not allowing hitters to get good chances to hit the ball as opposed to pitching for strikeouts, he has fared very well. Lee hasn't allowed more than one run since May 31st, and his June ERA was an unreal 0.21, earning wins in all five of his starts in the month. At this point in the season, Lee is pushing to join fellow starters Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels, not only in the All-Star game, but on the Cy Young ballot come the post-season.
Though overshadowed by Cliff Lee's performance, the Phillies offense fared well against Sox ace Josh Beckett, earning five hits and and five runs in his six innings. The Phillies got an early boost from Domonic Brown who hit a two run home run in the 2nd. Cliff Lee would contribute in the 5th with a sacrifice fly, and in the 6th inning, Shane Victorino would cap off the scoring with his ninth home run of the year, a two run home run, ending the scoring at 5-0.
This win was a big one for the Phillies, winning against the AL's top team. The five run performance was like icing on top of a Cliff Lee cake, helping to silence the doubts that the Phillies aren't able to beat quality teams like the Red Sox. Even more impressive is that five of the eight position players for the Phillies were able to get a hit off of the Red Sox, a pitching staff that has the 5th best batting average against. If they can keep this hitting, the Phillies may all but forget about trading for a right handed bat at the deadline.
The Phillies play again tomorrow at 7:05, giving Vance Worley the start against the Sox John Lackey.