Cliff Lee showed what an ace should look like as he shut down Rockies batters in a complete game as the Phillies cruised to a 5-1 win Wednesday.
Lee sure didn't look like a first-time playoff starter as he gave up just six hits and walked none as it took him only 113 pitches to crush Colorado batters. He also struck out five and retired 16-straight batters at one point.
The Phils jumped out to a one-game lead in the National League Division League Series thanks to Lee’s supremacy and the Phillies’ balanced attack.
Every Phillies starter (including Lee) had a hit in the game as they used 12 hits and three steals to score five runs without going yard.
The Phillies also saw great defensive plays by Jimmy Rollins on a couple pop flies that got caught up in the jet stream and Jayson Werth who threw out the Rockies’ Yorvit Torrealba at third base in the second inning.
The only run for the Rockies came with two-out in the ninth when Troy Tulowitski knocked home Carlos Gonzalez with an RBI double.
For the Phillies Raul Ibanez had two hits and two RBI while Ryan Howard and Werth drove in runs with key extra-base hits off 15-game winner Ubaldo Jimenez.
Lee, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, came to the Phillies from the Indians days before the July 31 trading deadline. He sure looked worth the price of four prospects Wednesday afternoon as he sent the home crowd at Citizens Bank Park into a frenzy after the final out.
Some questioned manager Charlie Manuel's decision to give Lee the ball over the playoff-tested Cole Hamels for the first game. But Lee made his manager look brilliant with a masterful performance.
On a day when swirling winds made flyballs an adventure, Lee ignored the elements and shut down the NL's second-highest scoring offense. Avoiding the adventures that come with the Phillies bullpen, Lee mixed a deceptive fastball with off-speed pitches and had pinpoint accuracy the whole way.
