Jays tag Lee in eighth, Phils drop series finale

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Sunday, July 3, 2011
Posted: 3:45 p.m.Updated: 6:01 p.m.

By Jim Salisbury
CSNPhilly.com

BOX SCORE

TORONTOIts not June anymore.

Cliff Lee learned thatpainfullyon Sunday afternoon.

Lee was baseballs best pitcher in the month of brides. He made five starts and won them allthe final three, overwhelmingly, by shutout. In 42 innings of work during the month, he allowed one run.

One.

Thats 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 wasnt shocking that Lee lost a ballgame. Even though he had set a high standard for himself recently, a pitcher doesnt 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 way it happened, with Lees giving up a flurry of home runs in the decisive eighth inning.

It happened real quick, real fast, catcher Carlos Ruiz said.

Especially with Cliff on the mound, centerfielder Shane Victorino added. You dont think it would fall apart so quickly, but it happens. They came out swinging the bat, ready to go, and scored four quick runs.

The Jays didnt just score four runs in erasing a 4-3 deficit. They pounded their way to four runs. In a span of five batters, Eric Thames, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion all homered in a broad-daylight mugging of Lee, who had previously not allowed a home run since May 31.

Thames hit a first-pitch fastball over the centerfield wall to tie the game. Bautista hit 2-and-1 one cutter and Encarnacion a 0-and-1 fastball with a man on base to complete the assault.

No one saw this ambush coming. Lee breezed through the seventh 1-2-3 and had thrown just 89 pitches entering the eighth.

The seventh was easy for him, manager Charlie Manuel said. In the eighth, he started getting the ball up. He might have been getting a little tired. But he was sitting there at 89 pitches. He's been there all year long. They just got to him. They hit.

Like I've told you guys before: They're going to get hits every now and then. That's life. Thats the game. It's all part of it.

Lee said he felt fine going into the eighth. Ruiz said location was the problem.

A lot of times you can leave the ball in the middle of the plate and they miss it, Ruiz said. They have a lot of big hitters. Sometimes they don't miss it.

The Phils ended up winning two of three in the series. Bautista homered in all three games, raising his majors-best total to 27.

Lee was surprised his start unraveled so quickly.

I felt like they were decent pitches to be honest with you, but obviously that doesnt matter, he said. The results are what matters.

Lee is 9-6. His ERA jumped from 2.66 to 2.92. The lefthander was named to the National League all-star team along with teammates Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Placido Polanco earlier in the day.

Lee earned his way on to the all-star team with his magnificent June.

I really dont care about the month I had, he said. I care about today and giving the team a chance to win. Thats really what its all about. Other than that, the numbers and everything, I really dont care. I tried to be aggressive and throw strikes today and they got me.

Lee might have had more margin for error in the late innings had the Phillies offense not run aground after scoring four runs off Jo-Jo Reyes in the second inning. Victorino ran the Phillies out of a potential rally when he was picked off second base in the top of the eighth inning. Victorino was trying to steal third on his owna risky move with left-handed hitting Raul Ibanez at the platebut pitcher Octavio Dotel sniffed it out, wheeled and nailed him.

Earlier in the game, Victorino stumbled on the artificial turf in centerfield. His tumble to the ground permitted a run to score.

It was not the cleanest of games for the Phils, who had previously been 39-1 when leading after seven innings.

All of a sudden, things kind of fell apart, Manuel said. Give the Blue Jays credit, they earned it. Also, we scored four runs in the second inning and we had chances to blow the game open. We didn't get the hits or we weren't able to score a run after that. We started making mistakes and thats kind of what happened.

E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSalisburyCSN.Related: Polanco, Halladay, Hamels, Lee named All-StarsPhils' Hamels to make next start Tuesday

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