Friday, May 27, 2011

2011 Topps Heritage New Age Performers #NAP-1 Cliff Lee

Phillies 10, Reds 4
Game 50 - Thursday Afternoon, May 26th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  A few hours after defeating the Reds in 19 innings, the Phillies did it again as Cliff Lee pitched and hit the team to victory, 10-4.

What It Means:  The Phils, now 31-19, took three out of four from the Reds and they maintained a one game lead over the surging Marlins.  They travel to New York where they'll open a three-game series with the Mets.

What Went Right:  On a day most of the players were still trying to recover from the night before, Lee (4-4) did it all.  He pitched eight solid inning while striking out eight.  At the plate, he went two for three with a double and three RBIs.  The red-hot Raul Ibanez added a three-run home run in the sixth and Michael Martinez, making his first start this year at short, added two hits and a pair of RBIs.  Chase Utley hit his first home run of the season in the eighth.

Featured Card:  Two Phillies are featured in the Heritage New Age Performers insert set this year, Lee and Roy Halladay.  To date, all of Lee's 2011 Topps baseball cards feature him in the Phillies road grays.  The reason?  I'm guessing it's easier to Photoshop the Phillies road uniforms than it is to digitally add the red pinstripes from the home uniforms.

Other Stuff:  Wilson Valdez, the newest folk hero in Philadelphia, received a nice standing ovation when he took the field this afternoon as the starting third baseman.

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