"Cliff Lee crouched next to the plate, his bat propped in his hands ready to lay down a bunt with one out in the top of the eighth inning.

He watched as the first three pitches breezed by -- two for balls, the third for a strike.

On the fourth pitch, Lee decided to swing away, tapping a grounder to short that went for an easy 6-4-3 double play.

"He choked up on the bat a little bit and sent the ball (toward second)," manager Charlie Manuel said. "I talked to him after the game that I want him swinging."

And with that, the Phillies may have gotten their first evidence this month that Lee is mortal.

Beyond that, however, there's ample reason to believe Lee has reached superhuman status.

Lee tossed his second straight complete game, a 4-0 win over St. Louis, and has now gone 23 straight scoreless innings.

It was a performance that has become the norm during the month of June, a stretch of four straight starts in which Lee has been at the top of his game.

But ask Lee for an explanation for his hot streak, and he's stumped.

"I don't know," he said. "Throwing strikes, making plays, scoring runs, playing complete baseball -- it's a group effort."

After the game, Lee was short on explanations. During the game, he had all the answers."