 |
| Cliff warms up for his first spring start in 2011. |
So Cliff Lee did throw a baseball game last night in Clearwater, which is good news to Phillies fans who want to see him back sooner than later (either to stay or be traded). The good news is that Cliff pitched four innings, and struck out four. He did allow five base-runners and four hits, as well as three runs though.
Lee is expected to make his potentially last rehab outing next Monday, then come back after the All-Star break. That would put Cliff on schedule to make his first start back with the Phillies on either Saturday or Sunday (the 19th or 20th) in Atlanta, then to take a turn against San Francisco or Arizona on Thursday or Friday. His last scheduled outing before the deadline would probably then take place in New York or possibly in DC on the deadline (though we know he wouldn't throw that game if he could be moved). This means interested teams, who already have had two rehab outings to scout and have one more available, would get up to three looks at him back in the MLB.
Cliff isn't the only arm worth watching down in Clearwater right now though. This year's first rounder, Aaron Nola out of LSU, is now 1-0, with a 3.18 ERA through three games (technically only two starts since he picked up Cliff's first rehab game), so far going 11.1 innings and striking out 11, walking 3, and posting a WHIP of 0.71. His good start is joined by a recent call-up and draft pick of last year, Mark Leiter Jr. He's 1-0, with a 3.75 ERA in his first two starts, walking just one in his first 12 innings and striking out 11. He's a sleeper, but he did have some early success after being drafted last year.
If you're making the trip to Florida though, you're going to see J.P. Crawford and Roman Quinn. Crawford isn't off to a super-fast start with a .670 OPS and .234 average in his first 19 games, but that just shows that he is finally being challenged as one of the youngest players in the league right now. Quinn is seeing his average rise to .266 and his OPS to .700, as he learns to play outfield as a professional, and returns from an achilles injury over the winter. He appears to be getting better as he goes, and seems healthy. If he can return to the .280 plus form he showed in Williamsport, or be better, the Phillies may have a long term fix in center there.
While Clearwater was putrid awful in the first half, they are 9-10 in the second half, just 3.5 games out of first. Clearly the influx of young, raw talent, and a little Cliff Lee, isn't hurting things.
