2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Minis

2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini #162, #47 and #12

Phillies 4, Cardinals 0
Game 75 - Wednesday Night, June 22nd in St. Louis

One Sentence Summary:  Cliff Lee tossed his second consecutive complete game shutout as the Phillies used the long ball to defeat the Cardinals, 4-0.

What It Means:  They'll go for the sweep tomorrow night behind Roy Oswalt.  With the win, their record improves to 47-28 and they maintain a 4 1/2 game lead over the Braves.

What Went Right:  I used the word "dominant" to describe Lee's pitching performance against the Marlins last week and that word applies again tonight.  Lee (8-5) gave up six hits and he needed 126 pitches to shut down the potent (albeit Albert Pujols-less) Cardinals offense.

Kyle Lohse (7-4) pitched a good ballgame too, with the exception of the fourth inning.  In the fourth he allowed a solo home run to Jimmy Rollins, his 7th, and a two-run home run to Ryan Howard, his 16th.  Shane Victorino tripled and scored on a Chase Utley sac fly in the ninth for the fourth and final run.

Featured Card:  How is it I'm already running out of 2011 Cliff Lee baseball cards to post?  I know there are additional Lee cards in Topps Series 2, so I may need to do a little internet shopping later.  Rather than posting Lee's 2011 Bowman card* or his 2011 Topps Attax card, I decided to go with three mini cards featuring the game's heroes.

Mini cards have grown on me recently, and I'm trying to track down the last few Gypsy Queen mini short-prints to round out the Phillies team set.  I can't say I understand the appeal of tracking down these mini cards with all the various backs available, but they sure do look nice lined up together in a top-loader page.

*For the record, Lee's 2011 Bowman card is one of the worst Phillies cards of the year.  It's a very non-flattering picture of the pitcher, making it look as if he's been caught between taking a squat and moon walking.  Out of respect for Lee, I'm going to avoid posting it for as long as possible.