New York Mets right-hander Dillon Gee (4-3, 4.92) will be going for his fifth win of this baseball season while Phillies leftie Cliff Lee (0-2, 2.82) will be trying his darnedest to get that fist victory of 2012 under his belt.
A bit on Lee's futility in the win column despite pitching rather well from the game notes: "According to the Elias Sports Bureau, his ERA is the lowest for any Phillies pitcher who was winless through his first seven starts of a season since 1985 when Steve Carlton was 0-3 with a 2.41 ERA through his first seven starts."
Lee will have a couple of backups (and backups backups) in the lineup in front of him helping him turn that doughnut into a straight line.
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Mike Fontenot will give Freddy Galvis a spell at second base and Chooch is once again out of the line up. Hopefully Brian Schneider can put another ball into the seats at Citi.
Full lineup: 1. Rollins, 2. Pierre, 3. Pence, 4. Wiggy, 5. Victorino, 6. Polanco, 7. Fontenot, 8. Schneider, 9. Lee
Anyone else wish Charlie would get his Tony LaRussa on one of these days and bat Lee eighth just because?
Ryan Howard Injury Update
News
After talking with Ruben Amaro Jr. earlier in the day about the status of The Big Piece's rehab, Jim Salisbury guesses the All-Star break might be a most realistic date to see No. 6 back at first base for the Phillies.
The Phillies play their last game before the All-Star break on July 8 and resume play again on July 13.
It
sounds as if that may be a reasonable timetable for Howard’s return –
provided everything continues to go well as he builds strength after
requiring surgery in October to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon.
A city waits...
7:10 pm start tonight in New York in the meantime. Please beat the Mets.
It's a Lee vs. Gee world and Mike Fontenot is just living in it.