TAMPA, Fla. — A day after Roy Halladay’s troubling start, Cliff Lee took the mound in attempt to ease the nerves of worried Phillies fans.

By the look of the final score — a 6-2 loss to the Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field — it appears Lee failed to help the cause, but sloppy defense damaged the southpaw’s final line and the Phillies’ outcome under the lights in Tampa.

“We made some mistakes,” Charlie Manuel said. “Lee actually had some good stuff.”

Lee threw 2 2/3 innings, allowed six hits, five runs — only two of which were earned — as the Phillies committed four errors over the first three frames. The lefty totaled 71 pitches, 44 for strikes, and afterwards, it was status quo for the usual stoic Lee.

“I felt good and that’s the main thing,” he said. “Another step along the way.”

Lee, who led the majors last season in fewest walks per nine innings (1.19), uncharacteristically struggled a bit with his command. The 34-year-old walked two and fell behind in several counts, but again, Lee expressed satisfaction with his progress to this point.

“I was just a little erratic for whatever reason,” Lee said.

“It’s not that major of an issue. Like I said before, it’s more about making sure I feel good and building it up.”

Lee was the recipient of some bad luck, which correlated with some of the Phillies’ defensive miscues. After allowing a two-out double to Kevin Youkilis in the first inning, Lee induced a potential inning-ending grounder to third base. However, Josh Fields bobbled the high chopper, which led to ex-Phillie Ben Francisco doubling home two runs on the ensuing at-bat.

Again, with two outs and none on in the second, Lee walked the nine-hole hitter and it seemed as if it would do no harm. Lee then apparently missed inside on what could have been a third strike to Derek Jeter, but it was called a ball. The Yankees’ all-time hits leader took advantage by working a walk before Ichiro Suzuki connected on a low pitch for a bloop single just out of the reach of a diving Ben Revere, plating another run.

Lee surrendered two more runs in the third inning and finished his night with a throwing error to first base that led to his exit.

“He got his work in,” Manuel said. “His arm was good.”

Lee mentioned that he had difficulty locating his changeup, a pitch he hopes to sharpen before opening day.

“I’m just kind of struggling to get that pitch over the plate,” Lee said. “It’s a work in progress.”

Ruf snaps slump
Darin Ruf’s first big-league camp has not gone the way he hoped. On Wednesday, though, the 26-year-old showed off his well-publicized power by belting his first home run of the spring after entering the night 6 for 32 (.188). The long ball came on an 0-2 count in his third at-bat.

“It was good to see him hit one,” Manuel said. “He hit it real good.”

Stutes coming along
Reliever Michael Stutes pitched two scoreless innings and has now thrown four straight innings without allowing a run. Over that span, the righty has recorded five strikeouts to just two hits.

“When you get people out, you look good,” Manuel said. “He’s throwing strikes, throwing good — we need that.

“We need to get our bullpen organized and set up right.”

What’s next?
The Phillies host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon. Non-roster pitcher Aaron Cook will get the start with Kyle Kendrick making his scheduled start in a minor-league game.

Phils officials need to get a closer look at Cook, who could be a candidate for a bullpen job as a long man. Cook can opt out of his contract in the final week of camp if he's not on the active roster. If he stays in the organization and goes to Triple A, he would provide rotation depth.

Here is the Phils' lineup for Thursday:

1. Freddy Galvis SS
2. Michael Young 3B
3. Chase Utley 2B
4. Ryan Howard 1B
5. Domonic Brown RF
6. Darin Ruf DH
7. Laynce Nix LF
8. Erik Kratz C
9. Ender Inciarte CF

Jim Salisbury contributed to this report.