Cliff Lee only got two runs worth of support tonight and that was all he needed as the lefty struck out 10 and gave no runs over innings for his first win in six starts. Ryan Madson came on in the ninth for his ninth save. This was the Phillies’ seventh shutout of the season, which leads the majors.
It was really an odd night in many ways for Lee. He actually stole a base in the bottom of the fifth when the Phils had runners on the corners. The Rangers weren’t holding him on and no one appeared to be covering second, so he just took the base.
“They weren’t holding me on and Colby wasn’t really paying attention to me,” Lee said of his steal. “Shane (Victorino) started yelling at me from the dugout to take off and I was already thinking it so I went.”
In the third, the opposing pitcher Colby Lewis lined a pitch right off Lee’s shoulder, the ball popped in the air, Jimmy Rollins grabbed it and fired it to first for the out. The trainer trotted out to check on him, but Lee just waved him off.
The lone Phillies runs came off a Ryan Howard solo shot in the second which broke and 0-23 streak and a John Mayberry RBI single in the sixth.
Roy Oswalt takes the hill tomorrow as the Phillies go for the sweep.