Phillies still don’t clear Cliff Lee to throw

There was never a very bright outlook for the Phillies for 2014. The problems were that their core players were aging and not aging gracefully and it doesn’t seem that management has a commitment to cultivating a culture of youth. Instead, the front office has relied on a series of veteran role players and sluggers past their prime.

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What they didn’t count on was their starting rotation taking a couple of significant hits. Just a few weeks after getting Cole Hamels back from beginning the season on the disabled list, the Phillies lost Cliff Lee to the disabled list because of a left elbow strain. The fact that it was an elbow strain scared the entire Phillies organization and fan base into believing that Tommy John surgery was necessary for the usually durable Lee.

It was discerned that Tommy John surgery was not going to be necessary for the 35-year old lefty, which was a relief, but now it looks like the return of Cliff Lee is going to be delayed even further. Matt Gelb of the Philly Inquirer writes that Lee still has not been cleared to throw and experienced a ‘slight sensation’ in his elbow while doing some tests. Lee has been trying to keep himself in game condition in other ways by doing lower body exercises, but the delay in building up arm strength has to be somewhat concerning for Philadelphia.

Cliff Lee has made ten starts for Philly this season, holding a 4-4 record with a 3.18 ERA. He’s already thrown a one-run complete game and has continued to strike out batters at an alarming rate with 8.1 K/9.