Cliff Lee News & Rumors: Pro Sports Daily

October 7

CSN Philly

"Charlie Manuel will hold nothing back in Game 5 of the National League Division Series on Friday night. Roy Halladay will be the Phillies' starting pitcher, but if he falters, Cliff Lee will be ready in the bullpen. "Damn right," Manuel told CSNPhilly.com on Thursday. "He's there, dude.""

Lee assumes responsibility for Phils' Game 2 loss

October 3

CSN Philly

"The Phillies blew a golden chance to take a commanding lead in the National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, and Cliff Lee took full responsibility for that. "We had a four-run lead and I let it slip away," a dejected Lee said after the Phillies suffered a 5-4 loss to the Cardinals in Game 2 (see game breakdown). The largest crowd ever at Citizens Bank Park – 46,575 – erupted in joy when the Phillies scored three runs in the first inning against Cardinals' ace Chris Carpenter. The crowd kept on rocking as the Phils built their lead to 4-0 in the second."

Lee loses 4-run lead; Cardinals even series

October 3

Courier-Post

"It was no doubt the lazy pop fly that Cliff Lee gloved with nonchalant cool in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series that began the love affair between pitcher and city. Two years later, he still hears from fans about the play routinely. It was quintessential Lee — confident, brash, unflinching. On the mound, nothing bothers the left-hander. Well, almost nothing. Lee's unabashed ambivalence gives way to anger each time he walks a hitter. It goes against everything he believes in as a pitcher."

TWO OF A KIND: Halladay and Lee

October 1

Courier-Post

columnist David Hale

"The legend of Cliff Lee took root in the hours leading up to Game 1 of the World Series in 2009. He'd left his hotel in New York with three hours to spare before he was scheduled to start against the Yankees, but the Manhattan traffic wasn't cooperative. His cab ride lasted an hour, and he'd barely moved. He jumped out of the taxi and onto a subway train, then another. He arrived unfazed at Yankee Stadium less than 90 minutes before first pitch. Never mind the frenetic commute or abridged build-up to the biggest game of his career. Lee took the mound hurled a six-hit shutout, striking out 10 and walking none. "Knowing him and knowing how he thrives on the sense of urgency, I can see how it"

Kendrick, Lee pitch Phillies past Marlins

September 16

Courier-Post

"Cliff Lee was one strike away from completing a four-hit shutout, which would have been his major-league leading seventh of the season. The crowd was on its feet, roaring with anticipation. Then Lee left a backdoor cutter over the plate, and Jose Lopez smacked the 0-2 pitch into the stands in left field, and just like that the game was tied. "Obviously that's frustrating," Lee said. "No doubt about it. But what can you do about it? What's done is done. I've got to recover and try to get the next guy out." But like everything else in this season of unprecedented success, the Phillies overcame that when Ryan Howard, batting for the first time in the game, doubled in the 10th inning to score"

Lee named NL Pitcher of Month

September 7

Courier-Post

"It's another rainy night at the ballpark. Players were in the clubhouse checking out the radar on their Ipads, and manager Charlie Manuel had the TV in his office glued to the weather channel. The Phillies already have 2 doubleheaders coming in the next few weeks, and they don't want to play another tomorrow. Neither do the Braves, who already playing a doubleheader on Thursday. So they don't want 2 straight days of doubleheaders. So we wait. In the meantime, Cliff Lee was named the National League's Pitcher of the Month for August. Lee was 5-0 with an ERA of 0.45. He allowed 2 earned runs in 39 2/3 innings. He also won the award after going 5-0 with an ERA of 0.21 in June (he's slipping,"

Rookie Jesus Montero nearly traded for Cliff Lee, but Brian Cashman stuck with catcher

September 7

New York Daily News

"It will always be fair to wonder if Brian Cashman was right or wrong not to give in to the Mariners' demands for Cliff Lee 14 months ago, and include either Ivan Nova or Eduardo Nuñez along with Jesus Montero, the centerpiece of the proposed deal. But one thing for sure: After Montero flashed the opposite-field power that has had scouts comparing him to Mike Piazza for years, hitting his first two big-league home runs at Yankee Stadium on Monday, it's starting to look like the Mariners were the real losers in that rather famous near-deal. In the end, they preferred Justin Smoak over Montero, deciding to trade with the Rangers instead, and so far that looks like a mistake. Smoak, the"

Lee, Phillies roll over Braves in shutout victory

September 6

CSN Philly

"Cliff Lee is hardly impressed with himself. That's just the way he is. Sure, winning is fun and he likes to pitch well, but don't think for a second that he's trying to impress his teammates or anyone else. That's just not what it's about for the Phils' white-hot lefty. Lee talked about his sixth complete-game shutout of the season on Tuesday night at the Bank with his trademarked country Zen. Most of his answers to questions came with shrugs of the shoulders or responses of, "I don't know…" "I don't believe in that," Lee said when asked if the Phillies' pitching staff uses each other for motivation. "I want everyone to do well every day, but if someone is successful one day I don't think"

Lee dazzles Reds in Phillies' 19th shutout win

September 1

CSN Philly

"Charlie Manuel looked Cliff Lee in the eye. "I want Madson," Manuel said. "You sure?" Lee said. "Damn sure," Manuel said. Lee came within one out – one strike, really – of his sixth shutout of the season as the Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds, 3-0, on Monday night. When Lee loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth on a double, a walk and a hit batsman, Manuel went to Madson, who slammed the door for his 25th save and the team's majors-leading 19th shutout. Despite pitching a gem for his 15th win, Lee was frustrated with himself for not finishing what he started. "It isn't often you pitch 8 2/3 innings and not give up a run and somehow not feel good about it when it's"

Cliff cuffs Mets as slide worsens

August 23

New York Post

"The joke store called, and they're running out of Mets. What once held the promise of a respectable season has turned to crud right before manager Terry Collins' eyes. Don't look now, but Collins' crew is seven games below .500 -- the same place it was during a game on April 20 when principal owner Fred Wilpon called the Mets a "sh- - - -y" team. "We're in a rut and playing pretty bad baseball right now," David Wright said after a 10-0 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. "We can't allow ourselves to just play out the season. Hopefully people realize there's a lot on the line going into next year, and we need to try and clean it up and play better baseball." Wright had a closed-door"

Lee, Phillies dominate Mets in shutout victory

August 23

CSN Philly

"Just about everything went right for the Phillies on Monday night. The offense exploded for 10 runs. Everybody's favorite pitcher delivered another gem. And, ultimately, the Phils thrilled another huge crowd with their 82nd victory of the season. But the best thing to happen in the Phils' 10-0 shellacking of the New York Mets might have been the game that Placido Polanco played. Just off the disabled list with a painful tear in his groin area (sports hernia) that will require his having off-season surgery for the second straight winter – he had elbow surgery last year – Polanco had a pair of hits and made a nifty play at third base. He was also able to push himself on a sprint to first"

Phillies bounce back to beat Arizona 9-2

August 18

Courier-Post

"PHILADELPHIA — There's a stock answer Charlie Manuel has probably given a thousand times in his career, one that, if deployed with the right emphasis and delivery, promptly ends a debate over a failed decision. Why did Manuel leave Roy Halladay in long enough to blow a lead and lose Tuesday's game? "Because I'm the manager," Manuel said. Most days, Manuel plays by the book, and when it doesn't work out, he takes the heat. Some days, he goes with his gut, and when he's wrong, the backlash is expected. "I don't lose no sleep," Manuel said. "I do know there are times I'm going to be second-guessed, but if I let that bother me, I'm not a manager." Manuel leaves no question -- he isn't just a"

Phillies' Cliff Lee beats Dodgers on mound, and at plate

August 10

Los Angeles Times

"The Dodgers-Phillies game Tuesday night featured an opening twist in which both teams got their first two runners aboard in the first inning and yet failed to score. It was a moral victory for both Dodgers left-hander Ted Lilly and Philadelphia lefty Cliff Lee, the former Cy Young Award winner. But there was nothing unusual about what came next. Although Lilly pitched well in a duel with Lee, the Dodgers didn't give Lilly any run support. Lee, meanwhile, not only tossed eight scoreless innings but chipped in with a solo home run for what proved to be the decisive run as the Phillies edged the Dodgers, 2-1, at Dodger Stadium. Making matters worse for the Dodgers, rookie shortstop Dee Gordon"

It's all Lee as Phillies continue winning roll

August 10

CSN Philly

columnist: Jim Salisbury

"Things are going so well for the Phillies that now they're calling their shots and laughing out loud when they make them. On the bus ride from the team hotel to the ballpark late Tuesday afternoon, broadcaster Sarge Matthews and Cliff Lee were talking about how difficult it was to hit a ball completely out of Dodger Stadium, you know, over the roof of the outfield pavilion. Matthews told Lee that Willie Stargell (twice), Mike Piazza and Mark McGwire were the only guys to do it. Lee listened to Sarge talk about the difficulty of the feat and said: "I'll do it tonight." Lee didn't clear the pavilion roof. He didn't even hit it as far as Matt Stairs did in the 2008 National League"

Lee tosses fifth shutout in Phils' win over Giants

August 5

CSN Philly

"Phillies players have said it until their faces have broken out in red pinstripes: You don't get revenge for a postseason loss in July and August. They are right, of course. Only winning the National League pennant will heal the wounds that the Phils suffered against the San Francisco Giants last October. But in the meantime, a good showing in the City by the Bay this week should help. The Phillies annual visit to AT&T Park –- always a difficult task -- got off to an excellent start Thursday night thanks to Cliff Lee, Hunter Pence and John Mayberry Jr. Lee pitched what he believed was his best game of the season in racking up his majors-leading fifth shutout, and Pence and Mayberry both"

Lee voices frustration in being pulled after 4 innings in 5-4 loss to Padres

July 26

Allentown Morning Call

"Cliff Lee wanted a chance to redeem himself, a chance to show everyone he could bounce back and hold the Padres to five runs. And certainly after watching Roy Halladay slam the door on the Padres a day earlier after giving up three runs in four innings — Halladay then retired the final 10 batters he faced — Lee had his heart set on doing much the same Monday. Then Lee got word in the dugout in the bottom of the fourth inning that he wouldn't get that chance. "They told me they were pinch-hitting for me," Lee said. "There was nothing I could do. It's [manager Charlie Manuel's] job to do everything he can to help the team win, and he felt like that was the best decision. I don't have to"

Lee blasts first homer, but left to fend for self in loss

July 10

CSN Philly

"As Cliff Lee fouled off fastball after fastball, the rumble in the stands intensified, until the left-handed pitcher did something at the plate that few other Phillies could on this day: emphatically contacted bat with ball. Lee's third-inning home run -- the first of his nine-year big league career -- turned out to be the only run the home nine would score Saturday against the Braves' imposing pitching staff. Instead of sparking a second straight victory, the memorable blast proved to be the lone highlight in a frustrating defeat. In the moment, though, it was easy to perceive the homer as another dose of Citizens Bank Park magic. First, Lee took a page out of the Brett Myers handbook,"

Polanco, Halladay, Hamels, Lee named All-Stars

July 4

CSN Philly

"The Phillies will send four players, and possibly five, to the All-Star Game on July 12 in Phoenix. The bulk of the all-star rosters were announced Sunday afternoon. Placido Polanco was voted by the fans as the National League starting third baseman. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels were all selected to be on the NL's pitching staff. Centerfielder Shane Victorino is still in the running for a berth on the NL roster. He is one of five NL players under consideration for the Final Vote, which is selected by fans in on-line balloting that runs until Tuesday afternoon. Notable Phillies to be left off the NL roster include Ryan Howard, who ranks second in the league in RBIs with 67, and"

Jays tag Lee in eighth, Phils drop series finale

July 4

CSN Philly

"It's not June anymore. Cliff Lee learned that – painfully – on Sunday afternoon. Lee was baseball's best pitcher in the month of brides. He made five starts and won them all – the final three, overwhelmingly, by shutout. In 42 innings of work during the month, he allowed one run. One. That's what made the events of Sunday afternoon so shocking. Lee was the losing pitcher in 7-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Now, it wasn't shocking that Lee lost a ballgame. Even though he had set a high standard for himself recently, a pitcher doesn't win every day. Losses happen, especially against a team that swings the bats as aggressively as the Blue Jays. What made this defeat rather stunning was the"

Lee learns July won't be quite as kind

July 4

Courier-Post

"There was never any debate. Cliff Lee had dominated in June, allowing only one run in 42 innings. He had a scoreless streak of 34 innings -- the second longest in team history -- that ended in the third inning Sunday. He had thrown only 89 pitches heading into the eighth, with the Phillies clinging to a one-run lead. So Lee was staying in the game. It didn't take long, however, for everything to unravel for both Lee and the Phillies. The Blue Jays hit three homers in the eighth to knock out Lee and send the Phillies to a 7-4 loss Sunday. "He had a real clean seventh inning -- and then in the eighth, all of a sudden, things kind of fell apart," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He's"

Cliff Lee's June was as hot as Texas weather he escaped

July 1

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

columnist Randy Galloway

"For fans of the local baseball team, this week's stomach growling is not a medical disorder or a reaction to an abundance of jalapenos in the salsa.

I checked with my doctor, who says he's seen a lot of these cases lately.

His prognosis:

"Cliff Lee withdrawal pains."

It's enough to make you sick, the way this guy just ripped through the month of June with three straight shutouts and 32 consecutive scoreless innings entering July.

Plus, there was the 5-0 record and the 0.21 ERA as Mr. Lee just wrapped up the greatest pitching performance for a month in 23 major league years.

Kristen Lee also reports that the traffic is light in Philadelphia and the weather is pleasant. As"

Cliff Lee rules the Boston Red Sox

June 29

LehighValleyLive.com

"If this was a World Series preview, book Broad Street for a parade now. The Philadelphia Phillies swatted the Boston Red Sox away like a regal elephant brushing aside a bothersome gnat in Tuesday's 5-0 win in the first of a three-game interleague showdown of elite teams at Citizens Bank Park. Boston may have come in with the second-best record in the American League, but the Red Sox went so quietly against the commanding figure of the untouchable Cliff Lee that they looked like the second-best team in the Massachusetts American Legion, maybe. The lefty Lee couldn't have been much better as he baffled Boston during a masterpiece of a two-hit shutout that was a no-hitter through five"

Lee throws third straight shutout in Phillies' win

June 29

CSN Philly

"Cliff Lee did it again. He pitched the Phillies to a victory in Game 1 of the World Series. He did it in 2009 against the New York Yankees. And he did it again Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox. All right. All right. This wasn't the World Series. It was way too hot and muggy for that. It was also four months early. But Tuesday night's Phillies-Boston Red Sox game was billed as a World Series preview. And with a little of that postseason excitement in the air at Citizens Bank Park, Lee was at his best, pitching his third straight shutout in lifting the Phillies to a 5-0 win and giving them their 50th win as the season arrives at the mathematical halfway point on Wednesday night. Lee"

Cliff Lee throws 3rd straight shutout

June 29

Courier-Post

"With two outs in the fifth inning, Mike Cameron lofted a fly ball to right field that took Domonic Brown by surprise. Cliff Lee had retired the previous 11 batters, breezing through baseball's most prolific offense, and the game was moving along at such an easy pace that Brown was teetering on the precipice between participant and spectator. "He spoils us out there," Brown joked. "That ball Cameron hit, I was out there almost asleep. I had to get on my horse." Brown still corralled the ball easily, and Lee's defense managed to make a few impressive plays behind him Tuesday. But as it has been for the past month, the lefty on the mound made it all look easy. Lee wrapped up his third"

Thankful-Lee, he went to Philly

June 29

Boston Herald

"Last night, the Red Sox didn't love Cliff Lee's offseason decision, but for the rest of the 2011 season, they'll be looking for someone to high-five. It's frightening just how tenuous the balance of power was in the AL East this winter. The Red Sox made historic improvements by adding the 1-2 punch of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, but it all might have meant nothing if Lee had just taken the money and run. The Yankees basically made Lee their only free agent target. They offered the Rangers left-hander what amounted to $148 million. They would surely get their man. Again. Except Lee had other ideas. His wife didn't appreciate dodging the taunts and beers of fans in Yankee Stadium"

Lee dominates for Phillies in CG win over Cards

June 23

CSN Philly

"Cliff Lee began his 16th start of the season on Wednesday night by throwing seven straight balls. Charlie Manuel, who has seen just about everything baseball can offer in nearly a half century in the pro game, exercised restraint in the Phillies dugout. "I figured I better not jump up and take him out," the manager said. "Let him work through it." Lee worked through it pretty nicely. He asked the umpire for a new ball after his seventh pitch then proceeded to pitch his second straight shutout in beating the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-0, at Busch Stadium. "I was just hoping it was the ball," Lee said of his request for a new baseball after his uncharacteristically wild beginning. "I don't know"

Lee in constant control during his shutout win

June 23

Courier-Post

"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"

Lee dominates Marlins

June 17

Courier-Post

"The pitch was a cutter, checking in at 85 mph, located out off the plate. In the instant it took for the ball to leave Cliff Lee's hand and arrive in Carlos Ruiz's glove, Marlins catcher John Buck made the unfortunate decision to swing. Buck took a wild hack, flailing at the pitch, spinning around and falling to the ground. If there was a moment that summed up Thursday's game perfectly, a picture that captured Lee's dominance with more eloquence any thousand-word opus, it was that image of Buck, struggling to regain his balance while lying helplessly in the dirt next to home plate. For nine innings, Lee made the Marlins offense look silly, and the lefty closed out an 11-game home stand"

Lee bounces back as Phillies drop Dodgers

June 7

CSN Philly

"Cliff Lee has never been a strikeout pitcher. And now that he's become one, he's not too happy about it. Lee, who never struck out 10 or more batters in a game more than twice in his first nine major-league seasons, fanned 10 Dodgers in seven shutout innings Monday night, and the Phillies opened a season-long 11-game homestand with a 3-1 win over the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Lee, who has never fanned more than 185 batters in a season, now leads all of baseball with 100 strikeouts in just 87 innings. At 31 years old, is he turning into Nolan Ryan? He hopes not. "I really don't want to strike guys out," Lee said after the Phillies won their second straight game following four straight"

Dodgers can't decipher Phillies' Cliff Lee in 3-1 loss

June 7

Los Angeles Times

"The Dodgers' reinforcements showed up Monday at Citizens Bank Park. But so did Cliff Lee. Lee negated whatever advantage the Dodgers gained by activating three players from the disabled list and promoting top prospect Dee Gordon, throwing seven scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory for the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers, who had scored 20 runs in their previous two games and 44 in their previous seven, looked the way they have for most of the season and were 0 for 4 with men in scoring position. Their run was scored in the ninth inning by the fleet-footed Gordon, who made his major league debut as a pinch-runner. "He knows what he's doing, that's for sure," Manager Don Mattingly said of"

Lee takes command, Phillies beat Dodgers 3-1

June 7

Courier-Post

"Cliff Lee has shown just a few snippets of his anger during his time with the Phillies, and each time they had to do with balls hit back to him. There was Game 1 of the 2009 World Series against the Yankees, when Johnny Damon hit a popup to him. Lee flicked his glove at the ball in a disdainful manner as he caught it. Lee had another such moment in the seventh inning Monday. Dodgers right fielder Jerry Sands hit a sharp grounder up the middle that ricocheted off Lee's knee. The lefty scampered a few feet toward third base to pick up the ball, then fired it perhaps as hard as any of the 117 pitches he had thrown to get Sands at first. "He just kind of got mad and went over and got it,""

Lee roughed up as Phillies pounded by Nationals

June 1

CSN Philly

"Cliff Lee began Tuesday night's postgame interview session with a belch. Hopefully it tasted better than the pitching performance he delivered. Lee took a beating from the second-worst hitting club in the majors. The Washington Nationals, who entered the game hitting .230 as a team, pounded the lefthander for seven hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings en route to a 10-2 win. Second baseman Danny Espinosa homered twice off Lee. One was a three-run shot in the third inning. "It boiled down to Espinosa hitting two big home runs for them," Lee said once his stomach settled. "You've got to give him some credit. He had a great game. "They're professional hitters and if you throw pitches over the"

Nationals tug on Superman's cape

June 1

Courier-Post

"For a sizable contingent of Philadelphia fans, Cliff Lee is Superman. He's the unassuming star who nearly single-handedly carried their team to a championship two years ago, then spurned more lucrative deals elsewhere to return when given the chance. He is perfection personified. The mystique Lee created in 2009 is pervasive, and it makes for a lofty standard. So when the lefty came back to Philadelphia in December, fresh from another World Series appearance with the Rangers and the owner of a new five-year, $120-million deal, there was bound to be a chasm between perception and reality, between a romanticized past and the inevitable failures that lie ahead. There have been days when Lee"

Lee delivers on the mound and with his bat

May 27

Allentown Morning Call

"Cliff Lee didn't make his best pitches in the game's crucial moments. Thanks to his work at the plate, that turned out not to matter. The Phillies' left-hander came to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning on Thursday, minutes after squandering a 4-2 lead by surrendering a two-run home run to Jay Bruce. He promptly delivered a two-run double to put the Phillies back on top of the Cincinnati Reds for good on their way to a 10-4 victory. Lee added an RBI single in the next inning to become the first Phillies pitcher since Cory Lidle in 2004 to knock in three or more runs in one game. A little more than 15 hours after utility infielder Wilson Valdez became the first major league player since"

Lee's arm and bat lead Phils to rout of Reds

May 27

CSN Philly

"It's not unusual for a starting pitcher to depart the ballpark early the night before he is scheduled to start a day game. Cliff Lee was in his car driving home by the time Wednesday night's game was in the fifth inning. His plan was to watch a little of his mates on TV and get to bed early so he'd be ready to face Cincinnati in a Thursday matinee at Citizens Bank Park. Lee didn't get much sleep. Like so many other Phillies fans, he was enthralled by the action – or non-action – that left the Phils and Reds playing 19 innings until 1:20 a.m. Thursday. And when infielder Wilson Valdez was called on to pitch … there was no way Lee could turn off the TV. "I turned the game off and tried to"

Lee leads charge for surging Phils

May 27

Courier-Post

"

At the plate, Dane Sardinha was in the midst of working a walk to load the bases when Charlie Manuel called his pitcher back from the on-deck circle. The Phillies' manager had no intention of sending up a pinch-hitter, but he wanted to make sure Cliff Lee knew the signs in case Manuel called for a bunt. As it turned out, Lee wasn't interested in playing small ball. Lee got a first-pitch fastball from Reds reliever Daryl Thompson and uncorked a soaring fly ball that bounced just shy of the 401-foot marker in center field, bouncing over the wall for a two-run, ground-rule double. So, was that all part of Manuel's plan? "No," the manager said. "He just did that on his"

Lee silences former team

May 22

Courier-Post

"Cliff Lee saw the trainer running to the mound and waved him off. A liner off his back wasn't going to stop him. Lee threw eight dominant innings against the team he led to the World Series last year, Ryan Howard hit a solo homer and the Phillies beat the Texas Rangers 2-0 Saturday night. Lee (3-4) allowed five hits and struck out 10 to earn his first win since April 14. The lefty helped the Rangers capture the first AL pennant in franchise history after joining them last July. But he turned down more money from Texas and the New York Yankees to return to Philadelphia, signing a $120 million, five-year deal. "He was outstanding, tremendous," manager Charlie Manuel said. "He was aggressive"

Lee dominates former club as Phils top Rangers

May 22

CSN Philly

"The best part of Cliff Lee's night came when he received a hug from his 10-year-old son Jaxon in the clubhouse after the game. The second-best part was the victory he earned on the pitcher's mound. It was special for a couple of reasons. First, it had been a long time coming. And second, it came against the team he pitched for in the World Series last year, one of the teams he turned down in making his decision to sign a five-year, $120-million contract with the Phillies in December. "It feels good to win," Lee said after pitching eight shutout innings in leading the Phillies to a 2-0 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night. "Any time you go deep into the game and don't give up a run,"

Lee puts past where it belongs

May 21

Courier-Post

"If things had gone a bit differently, there's a chance Cliff Lee would be starting tonight's game wearing a Rangers uniform. The lefty led Texas to a World Series appearance in 2010, and Texas made a sizeable offer to try to keep him in the fold this offseason. Instead, Lee turned down one former team to rejoin another, and he said he won't be thinking about what might have been when he pitches against the Rangers tonight. "I played with them and had a good time," Lee said. "They have a lot of talent in that clubhouse, but I've got to do whatever it takes to win for my team -- and that's the Phillies." But while Lee doesn't think he'll have much trouble separating emotions from the game,"

Lee is wild, bats are not in Phillies loss to Cardinals

May 17

Philly.com

"In the middle of a silent visitors clubhouse at Busch Stadium after a 3-1 Phillies loss to the Cardinals, Rich Dubee and Greg Gross sat at laptops in their shorts watching video and taking notes. Dubee, the pitching coach, replayed each one of Cliff Lee's six walks. Gross, the hitting coach, needed just about the same time to see each of the Phillies' five hits. The players dressed; the fact that 40 games have yielded a 25-15 record, best in the National League, was of no consolation on Monday night. There was Lee, visibly upset at home plate umpire Gerry Davis' tight strike zone, which resulted in a career-high six walks. "I felt like I threw a lot of strikes that were called balls," Lee"

Cardinals take advantage of Lee's career-high six walks, weak Phillies offense

May 17

Philly.com

"Cliff Lee may not always win. Doesn't always dominate the opposition. Even gets cuffed around from time to time. But one thing you can count on is that he won't walk many batters. In an uncertain, constantly changing world, it's good to know there are still a few verities that can be counted on. Why, the lefthander who was the most prized pitcher on the free-agent market last winter went into last night's start against the Cardinals ranked first among National League starters by averaging 1.20 bases on balls per nine innings. Say it ain't so . . . When Lee tied his career high with five walks last night, there was still nobody out in the fourth inning. He broke his personal record in the"

Lee was good, but Lowe was better

May 7

Philly.com

"The way Cliff Lee was dealing, it was going to take an extraordinary effort to get the best of the Phillies lefthander. This was one of those occasions when the Atlanta Braves obliged. Even though Lee struck out a career-high 16 batters in seven innings, he and the Phillies suffered a 5-0 loss Friday night at Citizens Bank Park to the suddenly hot Braves. Lee's effort was wasted because the Phillies' bats went dormant with just two hits against Derek Lowe and three Braves relievers. It didn't take long for the Phils, coming off a three-game sweep of Washington, to realize that the Nationals no longer were in town. Lowe immediately got the Phillies' attention by pitching six no-hit innings"

Terry Collins' Mets don't have the pitching to compete with Phillies aces Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee

May 1

New York Daily News

columnist Tim Smith

"Phillies manager Charlie Manuel recited Roy Halladay's pitching line like he was reading from a supermarket shopping list. Complete game. Nine innings. Seven hits. One run. "I don't have to tell you he was pretty good," Manuel said. You think? For the second consecutive game, the Mets came up short in an arms race with the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park as Halladay outdueled Jonathan Niese to help give Philadelphia a 2-1 victory. Manuel will send out another ace, Cliff Lee, against the Mets in the series finale Sunday night. There is a strong likelihood that the outcome will be the same. So far in the first two games, the Mets have lost in different manners. On Friday night they were"

Phillies lose despite Lee's 12 strikeouts

April 26

Philly.com

"The lesson last night was simple: With the Phillies' offense in its current state, there can be no off nights, no pitching performances that are anything short of excellent. Hold the opposition to fewer than three runs, and things are looking pretty good. Anything more than that is a recipe for defeat. Cliff Lee wasn't bad last night. In fact, for the most part, he was sharp. He struck out 12. He walked only one. He allowed five hits. Problem is, two of those hits went for home runs, and that was all the scoring Arizona needed to notch a 4-0 victory and snap the Phillies' five-game winning streak. "Lee pitched good," manager Charlie Manuel said. "If you don't score, you don't win. That's"

Kaat praises efficient pitchers like Halladay, Lee

April 19

Philly.com

"Jim Kaat won 283 games in a big-league career that stretched from from 1959 to '83, which meant that his resilient left arm lasted a very long time. But despite authoring an incredible 180 complete games, the man known as "Kitty" wasn't much for dawdling on the mound. He worked quickly, as fast or faster than Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, another no-nonsense sort who threw strikes and went about his business as if he had an urgent appointment to keep. The 72-year-old Kaat, now a broadcaster for the MLB Network, was at Citizens Bank Park last night and he was discussing why the Phillies so love having Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee as members of what increasingly is looking like one of the most"

Lee dominates Nationals

April 15

Courier-Post

"Cliff Lee didn't throw his curveball until the sixth inning Thursday. He didn't have to. Lee's fastball stayed down and had plenty of bite. His cutter kept the Nationals off-balance. For five innings he worked effortlessly through the Washington lineup. And then came the curve, and the Phillies' lefty went from good to flat-out dominant. "He got ahead with his fastball and then started getting his breaking ball over, and they started chasing his breaking ball," manager Charlie Manuel said. "I knew from that point on he might be pretty tough." Tough was an understatement. Lee dominated Washington, allowing only three hits and striking out 12 for his sixth career shutout, a 4-0 victory. When"

Lee strikes out 12 in complete-game shutout of Nationals

April 15

Philly.com

"It was a sight you just might see again before the season expires. In the eighth inning, Ryan Madson rose to his feet in the bullpen, walked to the mound, and began to throw to catcher Jesus Tiamo. In the ninth inning, Jose Contreras followed suit. All the while, Cliff Lee was on the mound at the center of Nationals Park, well under 100 pitches and cruising toward a complete-game shutout. Twelve games into the 2011 season, the Phillies' setup/closer combination has made exactly three appearances. And if the two stars at the top of their rotation have anything to say about it, they won't see many more. One night after Roy Halladay logged his first complete game of the season, Lee dominated"

Lee makes quick work of Nationals

April 15

Philly.com

"With his right knee bleeding, Cliff Lee packed his locker at Nationals Park. He spent only five hours in the building Thursday, but if he can pitch like this every night, all the Phillies will ask of their $120 million ace is that he be in the dugout when the game begins. For the second straight night, the Phillies gathered around their starting pitcher to celebrate, this latest complete game a brisk, 4-0 victory over the Nationals. Not since 1999 have Phillies starters finished back-to-back games. It's only April, but here's Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee each throwing nine innings on consecutive nights. This is what you envisioned, right? "I want to throw nine innings every time I take the"

Lee whiffs 11 as Phils win

April 3

Courier-Post

"There were just 17 starts, half-a-season, little more than a brief layover between two distant cities. Cliff Lee's first stay in Philadelphia was short, but the city never forgot. So in December, when the former Cy Young winner spurned the advances of the Texas Rangers, a team he'd taken to the World Series just two months earlier, and left wads of cash courtesy of the New York Yankees sitting on the negotiating table to return to Philadelphia, the love affair between city and pitcher was instantly rekindled. Just days after Lee inked a five-year, $120-million deal, billboards went up along I-95 welcoming him home. Raul Ibanez spent the winter training in Philadelphia. Jogging near his"