Phillies Recap: August 13, 2009

Philadelphia Phillies 6, Chicago Cubs 1

When the Phillies (64-48) are homering, they are going well. The Phils ripped two homeruns in support of Cliff Lee, who turned in his third gem as a Phillie. By the time the dust settled, the Phillies had a 6-1 win and swept the three game series over the Cubs. Coming off of a disappointing homestand, this was exactly what the team needed as they have woken up from their mid-summer slumber. The Phillies have built up a five game lead in the NL East, pending tonight's action and are back to 16 games over .500.

If there was any doubt left of Cliff Lee's importance to the Phillies, it has been wiped away. Lee (10-9) improves to 3-0 and has a miniscule 1.12 ERA with the Phillies. He dazzled again, shutting down the Cubs offense over eight strong innings, alloing just one earned run and striking out eight Cubs. Despite three walks, Lee's only major jam came in the second inning when he loaded the bases before retiring the side unscathed. He threw 122 pitches over the eight innings, giving the bullpen some much needed rest and staking his position as the workhorse of the rotation.

Ryan Dempster (6-6) pitched well for the Cubs early, despite being saddled with the loss. He cruised through the first three innings before surrendering homers to Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz. For Howard, it was his first homerun in August and recent memory, as he went the other way with a three-run bomb. Feliz continues to swing a hot bat as he picked up a pair of two-out RBI in the game. Dempster ended up going seven innings, giving up six earned runs and striking out eight Phillies. The Cubs have now lost five straight games.

This was a huge series for the Phillies, who not only swept three from a playoff hopeful team but also got their offense going again. Last season after 112 games, the Phillies were 61-51 so they are back ahead of schedule and ready to defend their division crown. And they are clicking again just in time to visit the division rival Atlanta Braves this weekend. But for tonight at least, the flight to Atlanta will be a lot nicer following the three-game waltz in the Windy City.