As the end of July was approaching, Phillies fans, myself included, got caught up in the hype of the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. As the days got closer to July 31, I became more and more irritated, especially when I heard the name Cliff Lee thrown around. Everyone around Philly was begging to throw JA Happ into the mix to give the Jays some Major League ready material. People on talk radio, again me included, said, "Give them whatever," "Throw in Drabek, Carrasco, whoever." But ultimately, neither side could agree. When I heard that the Blue Jays and Phillies were miles apart on the prospects and all of the sudden Cliff Lee again popped up, I looked into his numbers. It turned out he was an outstanding pitcher on a team with no run support. Maybe Philly is just what he needed.
Well, let's see. Since the trade, Cliff Lee has started nine games for the Phillies. It must have been a sign that his first game he pitched was a complete game victory 1-0 over the SF Giants. Not too bad. All together, Lee has compiled a 7-2 record, 3 complete games (2 of which were shutouts), 2.67 ERA (which would have been much higher despite the two losses which were big run totals), with 60 strikeouts in 64 innings, while only walking nine.
As for Doc Halladay, 4-6, an ERA of 3.98, three complete games (one shutout) with 66 strikeouts and 10 walks in 73 innings. Many have said that Halladay has a tougher time because of being in the AL East and this year's NL East is so poor. However of the six losses Halladay has suffered since the trade, not too many of them are against higher quality teams that the Florida Marlins (the losses include Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Boston).
You can only play the cards you are dealt. And with that in mind, I think Cliff Lee has built up a pretty good kitty and holds a Royal Flush in his hand. Let's just hope there is no bluffing down the stretch when we need him most.
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