March 26, 2014, 4:15 p.m.
@avdbkr20samuel
On Wednesday, the Phillies reaffirmed two things about themselves. They can't hit, and that Cliff Lee is still a legitimate ace, whether he gets run support or not.
Lee did not get any help from his offense on Wednesday as the Tigers shut him and the Phillies out 1-0 at Bright House Field.
In his final start of Spring Training, the 35-year old southpaw tossed five strong innings, surrendering one earned run on six hits, while striking out seven.
Lee's counterpart, Justin Verlander, pitched a gem. The right hander didn't allow a run in 6 1/3 frames on just one hit, struck out seven, and notched the win.
Even though there were two respectable aces on the mound, Wednesday the Phillies only managed two hits on offense.
A lack of hits is somewhat unusual for the Phillies. They generally can get between five to ten hits per game and just leave many men stranded.
The Tigers had similar offensive issues on Wednesday that the Phillies had in previous games this spring. They were able to rack up 10 hits, but were only able to translate this into one run.
The idea of getting to an ace early as a way of disrupting his psyche worked well for the Tigers on Wednesday.
In the top of the first with one out, Lee yielded a triple to the newly-acquired ex-Ranger, Ian Kinsler. Kinsler scored on Miguel Cabrera's ground out to shortstop to give the Tigers the one run that they would need to secure the win.
News and Notes: The bullpen shut out the Tigers
for four innings. The Phillies will look to bounce back when they play the Blue Jays tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. at Bright House Field.
A.J. Burnett will be slated against Drew Hutchison.
- The Philadelphia Baseball
