Starting pitcher Cliff Lee returned to the Philadelphia Phillies' rotation last night after being absent since May 18 with a strained left elbow. The lefty was roughed up by the San Francisco Giants at home, giving up 12 hits and six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.
After a couple of shaky rehab starts, the Philadelphia Phillies activated Cliff Lee last night from the disabled list to face starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong and the San Francisco Giants. Lee received solid run support after the Phillies knocked around Vogelsong for 11 hits and four runs in just three innings, but the Giants were too much for Lee in his first MLB start in over two months. He was taken out of the game after the Giants took a 6-4 lead in the fifth inning.
The 2008 Cy Young Award winner saw a drop in his velocity last night, which likely played a role in his performance. His usual range is between 89 and 92 miles per hour, but last night he was in the 86-89 mph range, according to Rotoworld. He's also been the subject of trade talks and a number of teams, including the Tigers, Blue Jays, Orioles, Brewers, Angels, Royals, Giants, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Pirates, and Yankees had scouts present at the game in Philadelphia last night. Such rumors are likely to affect the mindset of a player.
The scouts noted Lee was "definitely flatter than usual"; "less precise"; "in the zone too much"; and "not his normal self," according to this CBS Sports article. Perhaps they were a little tough on him because of his salary overs the next few years, which pays $25 million next year and $27.5 million in 2016 with a $12.5 million buyout. That's a big financial commitment for a front office to make in a trade, so the scouts were not going to hold back.
"I thought he showed some rust," an AL scout said of Lee in this ESPN article. "His fastball command was off and he wasn't nearly as precise as usual. He threw too many hittable pitches, and his overall stuff was flatter than normal. Give him another start before rushing to judgment. He threw strikes, but not with the level of precision he typically does."
Lee threw 66% of his pitches for strikes (59/90), but only 13 of the 28 batters he faced (46%) saw a first-pitch strike, which is well below his average of 66.8%. However, Lee missed nine weeks with a left elbow strain and performed poorly in his rehab assignments after surrendering 11 runs on 13 hits in 10 2/3 Single-A innings, so against a solid Giants lineup, this was no surprise. With the trade deadline looming next Thursday, suitors for Lee are going to want to see more out of him in his next start on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
You can read more about Cliff Lee's first start since May 18 in this CBS Sports article.
