Cliff Lee will see his first game action since being placed on the disabled listed over a month ago. Placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 20th with a strained elbow, Lee could through as many as 75 pitches in the start for Clearwater this Sunday in Brevard County, FL.
On Tuesday afternoon, Lee pitched a simulated game and felt confident moving forward as he was able to work all of his pitches at maximum effort without any issues. (via CSNPhilly.com)
“It feels fine,” he said. “I’m on pace. A couple of rehab games and I should be back.”
Lee made it clear when he signed here that he believed that Philadelphia was the best chance at winning a World Series. While that may still be his goal, the Phillies may not be the team for him to do it with. If Lee comes back without skipping a beat, he is likely to be trade bait for the Phillies as they look to acquire young talent through the trade market.
Cliff is making a $25 million salary this season, owed another $25 million salary next season, and carries a $27.5 million vesting option (or $12.5 million buyout) for the 2016 campaign. If Lee comes back before the all-star break, he could make four starts before the trade deadline, but if he comes back after the all-star game, he'll make three starts before the July 31st deadline.
First-round pick Nola rebounds in second outing
After struggling in his professional debut with Clearwater, the Phillies first-round pick got his second start and fared much better, despite the Threshers getting shutout, 1-0.
Nola threw four innings of one-hit baseball without a walk while striking out three. The LSU alum threw 48 pitches, 37 of them for strikes. The goal is for him to throw between 160-170 innings, including the 116+ he tossed for LSU during the college season.
The Phillies are transitioning Nola from working in a seven man rotation at LSU to a five man in the pros. Right now, he is throwing every six days until the organization feels more comfortable with having him pitch on a regular schedule.
Nola was named as 2014 National Pitcher of the Year at the end of June after going 11-1 with a 1.47 ERA in 116.1 innings at LSU this season.
Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Philliedelphia.com
