Tuesday, August 23, 2011

2011 Topps Diamond Stars #DS-15 Cliff Lee

Phillies 10, Mets 0
Game 126 - Monday Night, August 22nd in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies crushed the Mets, 10-0, behind another great pitching performance from Cliff Lee and several key hits from the offense.

What It Means:  The Phillies improved to 82-44 and rebounded nicely from a brutal defeat the day before in Washington.

What Went Right:  Lee (14-7) continued his hot August, allowing just three hits in seven innings while striking out seven.  He's now 4-0 this month with a 0.58 ERA and his 191 strikeouts so far this season represent a new career high.  Just for good measure, he's hitting .283 since May 11th with two home runs and seven RBIs.

Big hits came from Shane Victorino (two-run triple in the second), John Mayberry, Jr. (two-run homer in the third), Carlos Ruiz (two-run single in the fourth) and Hunter Pence (two-run homer in the sixth).

Featured Card:  Here's a super sparkly card of the Phillies co-ace.  Sadly, I think I've hit the point where the 2011 Topps insert cards are starting to bore me.  The design of these Diamond Stars cards could easily be something Topps recycled from a 1999 or 2000 release.  I'm sure it's not an exact copy, but I feel as if I've seen this design before.

Transaction:  One infielder came off the disabled list, but another one went on.  Jimmy Rollins was placed on the DL with groin issues and Placido Polanco was activated, as his sports hernia appears to be responding well to treatment.

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