Cliff Lee Domination

My Phillies attendance record didn't look too good. In 12 games that I attended this year the Phils were 6-6, and being at the game tonight, my season record hung in the balance. Dip below .500 for the first time since 2009? Or win big and climb to 7-6? It was all up to the Fightins.

In the top of the first Cliff Lee looked great. He threw just one ball and used the defensive services of Shane Victorino to pitch a scoreless inning.

In the second, Lee again utilized his defense as Wilson Valdez and Chase Utley turned an inning ending double play. In the bottom of the inning, the Phils put up a 3 spot against Mets' starter Dillon Gee. With 2 outs, Wilson Valdez ripped a single down the first base line to score Hunter Pence from 2nd. Cliff Lee followed with a single to put runners on first and second for lead off hitter Shane Victorino. Shaner then laced a triple to score Lee and Valdez and give the Phils an early 3-0 lead. In the third the Phils took a 5-0 lead when John Mayberry hit a 2 run line drive homer to left.

With a comfortable lead, Lee was able to cruise on the mound. Lee's early success was a result of two thngs. First off Lee was able to consistently throw his curveball for strikes. For me, I think Cliff is at his best when he is locating his curveball. His curveball sets up a lot of his other pitches like his fastball and changeup. Also Lee had a great ball to strike ratio in the early going. Through 3 innings, Lee had thrown 40 pitches, 32 of which were strikes.

In the 4th the Fightins loaded the bases and tacked on 3 more runs thanks to a Mayberry walk and a Carlos Ruiz 2 RBI single. And to add even more insurance, Hunter Pence hit a 2 run bomb in the 6th to put the Phils up 10-0. The Phils would eventually go on to win by a final of 10-0.

Overall it was a great bounce back win for the Phils after a dissapointing weekend in Washington. Cliff Lee and the offense came alive and they picked up a great victory to kick off this homestand.

There are so many positives to take away from this game. John Mayberry continues to hit the ball hard and in turn will hopefully earn himself some playing time. Hunter Pence also stayed hot and he is such a great piece in the middle of the lineup.

And of course there is Cliff Lee. When he is on there is no stopping him. Although he allowed a lot of base runners, he did a great job of getting out of jams.

A great win by the Phils. Cliff Lee is happy, John Mayberry Jr. is happy, and I'm happy that my season record is now a respectable 7-6.