Lee throws 2-hitter as Phillies top Marlins 3-0
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Cliff Lee's swing is nearly as impressive as his arm.
Lee tossed a two-hitter and had two hits and an RBI, helping the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Florida Marlins 3-0 Thursday to complete a four-game sweep and win their seventh in a row.
Lee (7-5) didn't allow a hit until Mike Stanton grounded a single to center with two outs in the fifth. He struck out four and walked two to record his seventh career shutout and second this season.
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Lee got the Phillies started offensively with an RBI double in the fourth. After an 0-for-13 start at the plate, he's 8 for 20 with two doubles and four RBIs.
"I like doing both," he said. "Obviously my job is to pitch, but any time you can contribute, it's a good feeling."
Lee has a short, compact stroke that's more fluid than some of the regulars. He routinely hits ball hard in batting practice and sometimes shows frustration when he doesn't.
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"As pitchers, we're not expected to hit, but I try to take it serious and help the team win any way I can," Lee said.
Ryan Howard homered for the NL East-leading Phillies, who improved their major league-best record to 44-26.
The struggling Marlins have lost 15 of 16. They were 29-19 and just one game behind Philadelphia after a 1-0 victory in San Francisco on May 26 but are 3-18 since and have fallen 11½ games out.
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Florida's Javier Vazquez (3-7) allowed two runs and eight hits in five innings in his best start in a while. He entered with the highest ERA in the majors among starters at 7.09.
"Vazquez kept us in the game," Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "He just made a bad pitch to Lee."
After Michael Martinez hit a two-out single in the fourth, Lee drove a 1-2 pitch off the fence in right-center. Lee is batting .242 (8 for 33) overall.
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Howard lined an opposite-field shot out to left-center in the fifth. He finished the 11-game homestand with three homers and 11 RBIs.
Jimmy Rollins hit an RBI double in the sixth to increase the lead to 3-0. Rollins was just 7 for 37 during the homestand, but had three homers and 10 RBIs.
Lee has been outstanding in his last three starts, going 3-0 with an 0.38 ERA. The lefty is 5-1 since losing at St. Louis on May 16 and has lowered his ERA to 3.12.
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"I don't know how much more he can do," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He did a super job."
Logan Morrison had Florida's other hit, a single leading off the seventh. The Marlins were outscored 25-6 in the series.
Notes: The Phillies are 31-7 when they hit at least one homer. ... A crowd of 45,628 was the 176th straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park, including postseason play. ... Howard is 8 for 21 with four homers and eight RBIs off Vazquez. ... Lee has 22 career complete games. ... The Phillies head to Seattle after a 9-2 homestand. ... Lee trails teammate Roy Halladay 114-111 for most strikeouts in the majors. ... The Phillies have thrown nine shutouts. ... Florida's worst stretch was a 3-19 skid late in the 1998 season. ... Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez didn't start the day game after playing last night. He grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth.