Cliff Lee makes his 2012 debut on Saturday for the Philadelphia Phillies against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, two days after Roy Halladay and Jonathan Papelbon combined for a two-hit shutout to get Philadelphia's season started the right way.
Lee was 17-8 during the 2011 season with a 2.40 ERA over 32 starts, finishing in third place in the NL Cy Young voting behind winner Clayton Kershaw and teammate Halladay.
The Pirates already saw evidence that Lee's arm if feeling lively again to begin this season, as the lefty threw six scoreless innings during a spring training outing against Pittsburgh on March 27. Lee finished spring training with a 2.45 ERA in 25.2 innings.
Jeff Karstens, who was 9-9 with a 3.38 ERA last season, gets the start for the Pirates.
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