Cliff Lee dazzles Padres in 4-2 victory for Phillies
By Brad Rowland
It’s been a lost season for the Philadelphia Phillies, but that doesn’t mean that their ace is rolling over just yet.
Cliff Lee threw 8 incredible innings in leading the Phillies to a 4-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, and he did so in typical Cliff Lee fashion. Over 110 pitches, Lee got 24 outs, allowed only 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, and struck out 9 batters to grab his 13th win of the season.
In fairness, the Padres lineup leaves a lot to be desired, but this was more about the precision of Lee simply overwhelming the majority of San Diego’s hitters. After just 1 walk in 8 innings, Lee’s walk rate now sits at an incredible 1.44 BB per 9 innings, and the fact that he is striking out 8.43 hitters per 9 innings is simply icing on the cake of his pinpoint control.
The Philadelphia win didn’t come without any stellar offensive performances as Freddy Galvis went 3-for-3 with a home run, but this night undeniably belonged to Lee. He’s been one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise dismal season, and with Roy Halladay’s status very much in doubt, he’ll be called upon to lead their rotation moving forward.