Cliff Lee turned in a vintage performance this afternoon with a complete game, 2-hit shutout as the Phillies completed their first four game sweep of the Marlins in Philadelphia since 2001 Lee has now allowed just one earned run in his last 24 innings pitched at Citizens Bank Park. Today's victory marks the Phillies MLB best 44th win and drops the Marlins into last place in the NL East, 11.5 games back of the Phillies.
Lee did his work on the mound and at the plate this afternoon, giving himself all the run support he would need with a 2-out double in the bottom of the fourth that score Michael Martinez. Ryan Howard’s 15th home run of the year provided the second run and Jimmy Rollins’ 6th inning double that score Domonic Brown wrapped up the scoring for the afternoon.
With the win, the Phillies extended their season high winning streak to seven games and stretch their lead in the NL East to 5.5 games. It’s a getaway day for the Phils, who now head across the country for a three game weekend series with the Seattle Mariners. Roy is scheduled to pitch the first game against rookie of the year contender Michael Pineda.