Photo Credit: Andrew Gillen
Coming off the best homestand they've had since before the July All-Star Break, the Phillies hit the road, where they've been less than stellar. Lucky for them, Cliff Lee was the first started tabbed for the New York series. However, rookie Zack Wheeler stood in there way. Despite his slightly ballooned numbers, Wheeler is expected to be a staff ace in the future, and comes bearing some dominating pitches. A final score in the very low numbers was expected.
And, as expected, both pitchers were dominant. Wheeler and Lee went toe to toe in their performances, throwing for a combined 14.2 innings in this game. The scoring, of course, was at a minimum. The home team was the first to score, and it came pretty early against Lee. A familiar face got the short-lived rally going, as former Phillie Marlon Byrd began the second inning with a double. Next up was Andrew Brown, and he lined the 3-2 pitch back up the middle and into center field for a base hit. Two ground outs and one strikeout got Lee out of the early jam.
The second, and final, round of scoring came in the top of the fourth inning. After both Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz grounded out to begin the frame, Michael Young reached on a single to center. Darin Ruf's walk put two on with two out for Cody Asche. The 1-0 pitch to Asche was roped into the right field gap for a triple, bringing home both runners and securing the lead for the Phillies, 2-1.
That would be all Cliff Lee would need. He would work 8 innings of 1 run ball, and Jonathan Papelbon came in to close it out for him in the ninth. For Lee, the 2-1 victory was his first win since early July, a six game stretch. It was also a big step for the Phillies, who only won one contest in their previous road trip. Tomorrow night, Kyle Kendrick looks to improve his 10-10 record against he Mets and Jon Niese at Citi Field at 7:10.
