MLB GAME RECAP

Lee’s sharp outing defines Phils’ 7-0 win

The Sports Xchange

April 22, 2014 at 2:40 am.

Apr 21, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starter Cliff Lee delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES — Pitcher Cliff Lee recovered from two frustrating outings to deliver his most dominant performance of the season.

Lee and pitcher Jeff Manship combined on a four-hit shutout to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night in front of 37,715 at Dodger Stadium.

“The way Cliff was going,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said, “four runs felt like 10.”

In his past two starts, Lee allowed a total of four earned runs and 19 hits in 15 innings of losses to the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves.

But after three of the first five Dodgers he faced got hits, Lee (3-2) retired 20 successive Dodgers. The left-hander struck out 10, induced eight groundouts, gave up four hits and did not concede a walk in eight innings.

“He’s pitched well all year, but his command was pinpoint tonight,” Philadelphia manager Ryne Sandberg said. “A lot of times, he gets no swings from both sides of the plate on fastballs. Then he’s able to mix in his changeup and his curveball the second, third and fourth time through the order. He was in total control out there.”

Catcher Carlos Ruiz drove in four runs with a two-run double and a two-run homer. First baseman Ryan Howard added a two-run homer as the Phillies posted their third victory in five games.

The Phillies took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. After center fielder Tony Gwynn Jr. walked and shortstop Jimmy Rollins hit a bloop single into short right-center field, Ruiz doubled down the right-field line to bring Gwynn and Rollins home.

“He’s a versatile hitter,” Sandberg said of Ruiz, who did hot have an RBI until Monday night. “Facing a lefty, sometimes, will give a guy like that a boost.”

Los Angeles left-hander Paul Maholm (0-2) threw 29 pitches in the inning. Maholm allowed eight hits, four earned runs and three walks in five innings.

“Tonight, I didn’t get ahead,” said Maholm, who believed that problem hurt his cause with Hunter Wendelstedt, the home-plate umpire. “If you’re pumping strikes like Cliff was, you get the benefit of the doubt. I wasn’t doing it, so the close pitches didn’t go my way.”

The Dodgers had a chance to score in the bottom of the first. Right fielder Yasiel Puig lined a single off the glove of Howard and took second base on second baseman Justin Turner’s long flyout to center field. But after shortstop Hanley Ramirez struck out, Puig ran the Dodgers out of the inning.

First baseman Adrian Gonzalez hit a ground ball that Utley fielded deep up the middle. With no chance to throw Gonzalez out at first base, Utley saw Puig heading for home. Utley threw to Ruiz, who caught Puig in a rundown and tagged him for the final out.

“That just shows that he’s one step ahead of the game,” Lee said of Utley. “He had a pretty good idea about how Puig was going to be running the bases, and he was dead on. (Puig) was aggressively rounding third and he was going to go all the way home. If (Utley) throws to first and (Gonzalez) is safe, Puig’s probably going to score.”

The Phillies added three runs on three hits, a walk and an error in the fifth. Howard hit his fifth home run of the season, a two-run drive into the right-field stands, and right fielder John Mayberry Jr. scored when Maholm threw third baseman Freddy Galvis’ ground ball away.

Ruiz finished the scoring with his two-run homer in the ninth. The catcher went 3-for-4 with two doubles and scored two runs.

NOTES: Philadelphia LHP Cole Hamels (left biceps tendinitis) will be activated before Wednesday’s game and make his 2014 debut that night. Hamels needs one victory to reach 100 for his career. … Phillies 2B Chase Utley entered Monday night’s game as the National League’s leading hitter at .406. Utley also ranks second in the league with a .672 slugging percentage. … Philadelphia SS Jimmy Rollins began the game needing 40 hits to tie the team record in that category. Hall-of-Famer Mike Schmidt established the mark with 2,234 hits … Phillies RHP Jonathan Papelbon needs nine saves for 300 in his career. … The Phillies’ starting lineup featured two sons of former major-leaguers: Tony Gwinn Jr. and John Mayberry Jr. … The Dodgers sent IF Chone Figgins to Triple-A Albuquerque (Pacific Coast League) and recalled RHP Jose Dominguez on Monday. … Los Angeles LHP Clayton Kershaw will throw another bullpen session on Tuesday and will make a minor-league rehabilitation start on Friday. … Dodgers 1B Adrian Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 16 games, two shy of his career best. … Los Angeles LHP Paul Maholm surpassed 1,500 career innings in the second inning on Monday night. …. With runners in scoring position, Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig is batting .313 (5-for-13) with two home runs, two doubles and three walks this year. … The Dodgers renamed their training room on Monday after Dr. Frank Jobe, the team surgeon who devised the tendon-transplant surgery named after former major-league pitcher Tommy John, the procedure’s first recipient.

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