The manager says Lee's stuff is still "good" and believes he is healthy. The pitcher says his latest outing was "a strange game." The pitching coach says nothing at all.
"It's stuff we'll talk amongst ourselves about," Dubee said. "I'm not discussing it. That's all. It's stuff we don't want out there."
So is there a flaw he discovered?
"Not necessarily," Dubee said.
That leaves two possibilities: Lee's problems are mental. Or he has simply been hittable.
The lefthander was willing to admit he should have finished at least five innings Friday. It was his shortest outing since July 25, 2011.
"It was just weird," Lee said. "It seemed like everything they hit went between third and short. They just got a lot of hits. It was one of those nights, I can't really explain it."
Lee, apparently, had forgotten about the four doubles mashed by Miami, none of which was hit between third and short. Opponents are hitting .337 off him in his last four outings. He is permitting 9.0 hits per nine innings after a stingy 7.6 rate in 2011.
The opposition is hitting .333 on balls in play, which is sixth highest in baseball. The league average for qualified pitchers is .287. That suggests Lee has been unlucky in 2012, but it's not the sole reason for his failures.
Dubee talked earlier in the season about his starters' inability to focus for an entire game. He never mentioned Lee by name.
Lee was asked if this season feels like a bad dream.
"For the whole team it kind of has been," Lee said. "We've been in last place from the start till now, so I don't think anyone is really happy with how things have gone as group."
Picking stars
The rosters for this season's All-Star Game will be announced Sunday afternoon, and the Phillies have one lock in catcher Carlos Ruiz. He will not be voted in by fans, but selected as a reserve by either the players or manager Tony LaRussa.
Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon are the other candidates to be selected. Hamels (10-4) has a 3.08 ERA and has paced a disappointing Phillies staff. Papelbon is tied for fourth in the league in saves with 18.
Extra bases
Outfielder Jason Pridie was added to the 25-man roster to replace Jim Thome. Pridie will join the team Sunday. He was recently signed after completing a 50-game drug suspension and hit .370 in 46 at-bats for triple-A Lehigh Valley. Pridie, 28, played in 101 games for the Mets last season.
