Philadelphia Phillies’ Cliff Lee returns to form as he wins two games in a row - MLB Update
Cliff Lee finally returns to top-notch form as he hoodwinks the batters on Saturday and helps the Philadelphia Phillies win. In light of the fact that he has been struggling throughout the season, watching him throw quality innings encourages one to believe
that he is going to replicate such a performance throughout the rest of the season now.
Lee is one of those pitchers that need one or two good outings to get going and from there onward putting up the best possible performances becomes far easier for them. Therefore the Phillies can anticipate that he compensates for the poor shows he has fared
on the mound in the season so far in the upcoming games.
However, along with the positives about Lee there is also a reason to be concerned about him in the team. Lee left the game on Saturday due to cramps in his left hamstring and therefore despite the fact the problem is not of a serious nature it can mount
concerns of the management which may become conservative and start observing caution of his use in games.
Talking about the recent upsurge by the Phillies, Lee is of the view that third baseman Kevin Frandsen and the catcher Erik Kratz have turned out to be amazing contributors for the team. In particular, Lee heaps praise on Kratz and acknowledges the way he
has replaced the All-Star catcher Carlos Ruiz.
These two players are the biggest reason why the Phillies have posted an impressive win-loss record since the start of the second half of the season.
“We’re playing better well-rounded baseball,” Lee said. “Frandsen and Kratz have done an unbelievable job. Both have stepped up. Kratz has filled big shoes [of injured Carlos Ruiz.] They’re two key reasons why things are turning around.”
Responding to the question whether he is going to improve drastically now, Lee has pretended indifference to this goal and has tried to convey the point that he just wants to throw quality innings and work hard for achieving this.
“I don’t look at it like that,” Lee said. “To me, what happened has happened. The only thing I can control is today and preparation.”
It will be fascinating to see Lee starting games and how he keeps the momentum going from now onward.
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