Cliff Lee

Here is how Phillies ace Cliff Lee fared last night: IP           H            R            ER        BB        K        ERA 3.1        10           6            6        1          3        7.24

  ST. LOUIS - "Call it whatever you want," Texas outfielder David Murphy was saying yesterday. "You can call it ironic. Call it funny. Call it . . . " Baseball? "Exactly," Murphy said. Last year at this time, the Texas Rangers were favored to beat the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. They had a lineup of great hitters. They had a green but formidable pitching staff. And they had Cliff Lee. Mr. October already had pitched them past Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees, two lineups that appeared a whole lot more intimidating than one that contained Pat Burrell, Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross and Edgar Renteria.

1. Roy Halladay             2. Cliff Lee

Here is a look at Baseball America's Top 10 Phillies prospects for 2008 and 2009, as well as the Phillies prospects or former Phillies prospects who are among the publication's Top 100 for 2010. Among the Top 100, only Domonic Brown is with the Phillies organization. (Players still with the organization are in capital letters.). Top 10 Phillies Prospects 2008 1. RHP Carlos Carrasco (Traded to Indians in Cliff Lee deal) 2. IF Adrian Cardenas (Traded to A's for Joe Blanton)

At Busch Stadium, St. Louis.   Monday at 7:05 p.m. LHP Cliff Lee (2-3, 3.78 ERA) vs. St. Louis RHP Jake Westbrook (2-3, 6.92).   Tuesday at 8:15 p.m. RHP Roy Oswalt (3-1, 3.33) vs. St. Louis LHP Jaime Garcia (5-0, 1.89).

Don't make me laugh, dude Texas reliever Darren Oliver found it difficult to keep his game face on against Los Angeles, his former team Monday - the Rangers' first meeting with the Angels this season. "It's hard to look those guys in the face when I'm out there pitching," said Oliver, who was with the Halos from 2007 to 2009. "I might start laughing or something because I know them so good. " He managed to stay solemn, pitching two perfect innings of relief in the 4-3 win. The good with the bad Even when things go wrong for Jonathan Papelbon, it can serve as a reminder of how good he is. When the Boston Red Sox closer gave up two-run home runs in the ninth to the ubiquitous Alex Rodriguez and the obscure Marcus Thames to give the New York Yankees an 11-9 win on Monday night, it marked the pitcher's first blown save in the regular season since July 28, snapping a streak of 22 straight conversions.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Skipping a bullpen session in late February can have little effect later, but when it's a $120 million arm not doing the throwing as scheduled, it requires attention. So Cliff Lee's shrug and Ruben Amaro Jr.'s downplaying Wednesday could all be justified. Lee did not throw his last scheduled bullpen session because of abdominal soreness. Lee said it was a "minor deal. " Amaro called it "normal. " "I'm not worried about Cliff," Amaro said. "Better safe than sorry, especially this early," Lee said.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - When someone new joins the Phillies, it's always interesting to see whether there is any link to the people already in the organization. Joe Jordan, the Phillies' first-year director of player development, has a truly interesting connection. It turns out Jordan was the area scout who signed Phillies lefthander Cliff Lee after the Montreal Expos selected him in the fourth round of the 2000 draft. "It was my last year as an area scout," Jordan said. He was promoted to Midwest supervisor the following year.

It was Cliff Lee's singular misfortune to return to Philadelphia and pitch historically well in the same year that four other men happened to capture the town's attention. Claude Giroux became the ebullient face of the Flyers. LeSean McCoy channeled idol Ricky Watters and carried the Eagles. Doug Collins resurrected the Sixers in a great basketball town. And, of course, Roy Halladay secured his place as his generation's best pitcher. Lee's wintertime decision to decline what perhaps would have been a better offer from the villainous Yankees made him an instant hero in Philadelphia, where fans swelled with pride and, for a moment, felt that ever-present chip rise a bit from their collective shoulder.

ST. LOUIS - You already know how integral the Phillies were to the Cardinals' making their unlikely run into this year's World Series. After swatting away all contenders, including three of four in Milwaukee, the Phillies lost three of four to the Cardinals at home in mid-September. Then there was their sweep of Braves at season's end, which allowed baseball hottest team to replace its coldest team and well . . . you know the rest. Or do you? Before last night's Game 6 of the World Series, Texas manager Ron Washington was asked whether there was a key turnaround moment for his team this season.

  ST. LOUIS - "Call it whatever you want," Texas outfielder David Murphy was saying yesterday. "You can call it ironic. Call it funny. Call it . . . " Baseball? "Exactly," Murphy said. Last year at this time, the Texas Rangers were favored to beat the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. They had a lineup of great hitters. They had a green but formidable pitching staff. And they had Cliff Lee. Mr. October already had pitched them past Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees, two lineups that appeared a whole lot more intimidating than one that contained Pat Burrell, Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross and Edgar Renteria.

Downing beers in a hotel room doesn't seem the ideal setting to practice mind control, but Chris Carpenter recalled when he and Roy Halladay did so as teammates in Toronto. At the time, they were two righthanders still trying to find their way, intrigued by a book titled The Mental ABC's of Pitching by the late Harvey Dorfman, learning how to mentally clear out the clutter. "If you can't figure out how to get rid of [the distraction], it's pretty tough to execute what you're trying to do," the Cardinals' big righthander said Saturday.

CINCINNATI - Twenty-eight days, Charlie Manuel said. We've got 28 days to figure it all out. And it's true. Even after last night's 3-0 win over the Reds, which improved the Phillies' best-in-the-majors record to 86-46 and kept their NL East lead at 7 1/2 games over Atlanta, Manuel and his team still had 30 regular-season games left to play. But on a night like last night, as Cliff Lee sizzled in a half-empty ballpark that less than a year ago was burning with postseason excitement, it was hard not to let your mind wander elsewhere.

A PAIR OF ACES go wild today and tomorrow (that's celebrating wild, not pitching wild). Happy birthday to righthanded, soft-spoken, funny-face-making Roy Oswalt (left), 34 today, and to lefthanded, home-run-hitting, behind-the-back-catching Cliff Lee (right), who strikes out a couple of cool threes (that's 33) tomorrow. What to give the Phils' dominators on (but far from over) the hill? A couple of Phanatic Pillow Pets? Coordinating Phiten necklaces? 'Cause we already got you your (Hunter)

LOS ANGELES - Just when you think the Legend of Cliff Lee cannot grow any taller, he steps into the batter's box in the seventh inning against a pitcher who has allowed three home runs against lefthanded batters all season and sends a 2-0 changeup sailing into the rightfield seats of Dodger Stadium. He might not have the longevity of Roy Halladay, or the consistency of Cole Hamels, but the man knows theater, and in a 2-1 victory over the Dodgers last night it was once again on display.

HITTERS PITCHING. Pitchers hitting. Cats sleeping with dogs. After Wilson Valdez won Wednesday's game with his arm but before Cliff Lee broke open yesterday's game with his bat, someone suggested that baseball's next innovation should be developing back-of-the roster players who can do both. But until then, we have Valdez and Lee, one a valued scrub, the other a beloved star, each with a flair for the dramatic, the unexpected, the delicious. "This game is crazy," Ryan Howard said after Lee pitched, hit and fielded his team to a 10-4 victory over the Reds yesterday afternoon in the final game of a successful, nine-game homestand.