Photo: Philliedelphia/Andrew Gillen
Welcome to the end, everybody! Well, that is, assuming a trade does actually occur. The "Cliff Lee could be on his way out of Philadelphia" horse has been beaten to death twice, so let's not dwell too much. The fact that Lee's last start in Citizens Bank Park could be this evening, however, is worth noting. Also worth noting is a specific return to the Phillies lineup. For the first time in four days, Ryan Howard returns to the field at first base against the right hander Josh Collmenter. Much controversy has stemmed from Ryne Sandberg's decision to sit the 2007 National League MVP for the last three days, but perhaps the "mental break" is just what Big Piece needed. The Phillies have a chance at a three-game winning streak after taking the last game against the San Francisco Giants, as well as the series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Back on April 26th of this season, Cliff Lee did make a start during the Phillies' trip to Arizona. In said outing, the veteran tossed six innings in a team victory. Lee had allowed five total runs, three earned, in the first three innings of that game. It has been five season since we've seen Cliff have such high numbers in ERA and FIP, suggesting a down season for the thirteen year player. However, his FIP of 2.87 ranks seventh in the National League among pitchers with at least seventy innings of work this season. His WAR of 1.6 also puts him second to only Cole Hamels on a list of all Phillies pitchers. The team will have to hope Lee bounces back from his six-run performance against the Giants his last time out.
In the 22 appearances he has made this season, Josh Collmenter has made seventeen starts for the Diamondbacks. He's currently on a streak of brilliant pitching performances, having not allowed more than a single earned run in four of his last five starts. His last start was a seven inning, one run game against the Chicago Cubs. Collmenter earned a win against the Phillies back in that April series, going six innings with no runs allowed and five strikeouts. In seven career games against Philadelphia, Collmenter has thrown a total of 24.1 innings with ten earned runs. The one blip on that streak is a six inning, six run blemish back in 2012. Aside from that game, the right hander has never given up more than two runs in a single outing against the boys in red.
Game Notes
- Grady Sizemore had a career game last evening against Arizona. The 31-year-old outfielder collected hit number 1000 for his career with his three-hit performance. It was also the first time in over three calendar years that Sizemore has had a three hit, two double game.
- Despite going four for his last twelve, Ryan Howard is hitting a measly .224 on the 2014 campaign. Back in their earlier series this season, the Phillies saw Ryan Howard go two for thirteen against Arizona with a double and two strikeouts.
- Domonic Brown, amidst the most disappointing of seasons, has four hits in his last twelve at bats. Those four hits include a double and a home run last evening. Brown also collected three RBIs and two runs scored last night.
Phillies Lineup
- Grady Sizemore CF
- Jimmy Rollins SS
- Chase Utley 2B
- Ryan Howard 1B
- Marlon Byrd RF
- Domonic Brown LF
- Carlos Ruiz C
- Cody Asche 3B
- Cliff Lee P
Diamondbacks Lineup
- Aaron Hill 2B
- Martin Prado 3B
- Paul Goldschmidt 1B
- Mark Trumbo LF
- Alfredo Marte RF
- Gerardo Parra CF
- Tuffy Gosewisch C
- Nick Ahmed SS
- Josh Collmenter P
Weather: 78° F – Partly Cloudy – 7% PoP
Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Game Time: 7:05 PM Eastern
Andrew Gillen, Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com
