Game Recap:
Hunter Pence hit his first home run as a member of the Phillies, and Cliff Lee pitched a complete game shutout, giving the Phils the first win in their four game series against the Giants.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was 2-3 with a walk and a run scored.
Hunter Pence went 3-4 with a home run and a double. He finished the game with two RBI and a run scored.
John Mayberry went back to back with Pence in the second inning, hitting his eighth home run of the season.
Cliff Lee was outstanding, pitching a complete game shutout in only 106 pitches. He allowed seven hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out eight.
Cody Ross went 0-4 with four strikeouts. Why am I putting this here? I don't like Cody Ross.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was 0-4 with two strikeouts.
Carlos Ruiz was 0-3 and grounded into a double play.
Wilson Valdez was 0-2 and was caught stealing once.
Game Analysis:
Almost two years to the day that Cliff Lee made his first Phillies debut with a complete game effort in San Francisco, he did it again last night. Lee looked every bit like the top free agent pitcher from last offseason, and the Phillies gave him just enough offense to pick up the win against the, dare I say it, rival San Francisco Giants in the first of a four game series.
Quite simply put, Lee was outstanding last night. He didn't have a rough inning until the eighth, when he allowed two men to reach base with just one out and the Phillies holding on to a two run lead. What did Lee do? He struck out the next batter and got the following one to ground out to second to end the inning. That was the most trouble that he had in the entire game. No Giants player reached third base in the entire game, and the only extra base hit that Lee allowed came with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. That's not exactly the ideal time to be getting your first double of a ballgame.
Cliff Lee has always been known for pitching fast games when he's got his best stuff, and last night was another example of that. He needed just 65 pitches to get through six innings, and until the trouble in the eighth, he was averaging just over ten pitches per inning. That's not just good, that's amazing. The Giants have had plenty of problems on offense this season, but they handled Lee during the World Series last year, and I think a lot of their fans were expecting to see more of the same this time out. Instead, what they got was the Cliff Lee from the regular season against the Giants, where he's 4-0. Lee also threw his fifth shutout of the season, which is more than the Giants have as a team. Last night showed why the Phils went out and spent all that money on Cliff Lee during the offseason. He's worth it.
Right now, Hunter Pence is worth it, too. The newest member of the Phillies continued his hot streak in red pinstripes, going 3-4 last night. Madison Bumgarner has had issues with getting started in games, and the Phils jumped on him early in the first, but were unable to produce any runs. Pence changed that on the first pitch of the second inning, hitting his first home run as a member of the Phillies and giving his team a 1-0 lead. John Mayberry only needed four pitches to take Bumgarner out with his eighth home run of the season in the next at bat, and just like that, the Phillies had all the runs that they would need on the night. Pence would strike again in the ninth inning, as he drove home Shane Victorino with a single to add an insurance run. Remarkably, it was the first earned run given up at home by Santiago Casilla all season long. That's why Pence is so important for this Phillies team. He is the right handed bat that was missing from this lineup, and his production so far is proving it.
The offense did struggle last night, but that was to be expected against the Giants, who have allowed the second fewest runs in baseball, behind the Phillies. On a night where Cliff Lee pitched like he did, you could tell that only a run or two would be enough, and that's what the Phillies got. This game was a pitcher's duel, and last night, the Phils were the last team standing.
Tonight, Vance Worley (7-1, 2.33 ERA) tries to make it eight wins in a row for the Phillies as he faces off against Jonathan Sanchez (4-5, 3.81 ERA).
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