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Lee Goes the Distance and Earns Fifth Win of Season; Phillies Blank Marlins, 3-0.

Final: Phillies 3, Marlins 0.

WP: Cliff Lee (5-2, 2.48 ERA) LP: Kevin Slowey (1-5, 3.30 ERA)

With tonight's shutout victory over the Miami Marlins in the series finale, the Phillies have pulled within one game of the .500 mark.  Cliff Lee went the distance for his 12th career shutout of his 12-year career, his first since the 2011 season.  He allowed just three hits and two walks on 115 total pitches in his gem tonight in South Florida. Oh, he batted 2-4 by the way to raise his average to .316.

Delmon Young, like last night, kicked off scoring in the top of the fourth inning with a solo-shot to left field.  He now has three home runs and seven RBIs with the Phillies thus far this season, 91 and 488 respectively for his career.

Domonic Brown and Freddy Galvis provided a couple additional insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning, with a RBI triple and a RBI single respectively to score Delmon Young  and Brown himself.

The Phillies have off tomorrow as they head north to Washington to take on the division-rival Nationals.  The Nationals are returning to the east coast, coming off of a series with the San Francisco Giants.  Earlier today, they won in extra innings, 2-1, to improve their record to 24-23. Kyle Kendrick start, as first pitch is set for 7:05 pm ET.

Game Summary after the jump.

Chase Utley to Undergo MRI

According to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr., Chase Utley will not be in the lineup tonight in Miami. The 2nd baseman reportedly felt burning and pain in his right ribcage following batting practice last night. Due to the sensitivity of a possible rib cage or oblique injury, the team is airing on the side of caution by sitting Utley against the Marlins tonight.

The MRI is scheduled tomorrow during the team's off day. Utley will be heading back to Philadelphia as the rest of his team leaves Florida to begin their weekend series with the Washington Nationals.

Brown, Howard & Young Power Phils to 7-3 Victory.

Final: Phillies 7, Marlins 3.

WP: Tyler Cloyd (1-0, 2.70 ERA) LP: Duane Below (0-1, 27.00 ERA)

Well, there was hardly anything to complain about tonight for the pessimistic Phillies fans that have been surfacing as of late.  Everything went as plan, well almost as Chase Utley was scratched with right side discomfort.  Tyler Cloyd threw well enough for his first win of the season as he lasted seven strong innings, allowing just two earned runs on eight hits and two walks.

Domonic Brown, Ryan Howard and Delmon Young were the center pieces of the Phils offense tonight, going a combined 6-12 with a total of seven runs batted it.  Delmon Young homered for the second time of the season in the top of the fourth inning to kick-off the scoring for both teams in tonight's action.

Cliff Lee starts tomorrow evening in the series finale as he will oppose Kevin Slowey. First-pitch set for 7:10 pm ET.  

Game Summary after the jump.

Injury Bug Bites Phils'

[Photo Courtesy: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports]

The Philadelphia Phillies are dealing with injury issues.

The team has placed Mike Adams on the disabled list after dealing with back spasms, Carlos Ruiz was placed on the DL with a Grade 2 hamstring sprain, and Ryan Howard is listed as day-to-day with inflammation in his left knee.

Howard received a cortisone shot on Sunday.

Humberto Quintero was called up to be the backup catcher in Ruiz's absence. Tyler Cloyd will be recalled from Triple-A now that Ruiz is placed on the DL.

The Phillies are now dealing with their first significant injuries of the season. Will their depth be able to fill the void?

David A. Cattai is a featured journalist with Buzz On Broad & Phielder’s Choice. Follow him on Twitter (@DCattaiSports), Facebook, and Google+ for sports updates.

 

Kratz, Galvis Homer off of Chapman in Ninth; Phils Win, 3-2.

Final: Reds 2, Phillies 3.

WP: Antonio Bastardo (2-1, 2.51 ERA LP: Aroldis Chapman (3-2, 3.32 ERA)

With the Phillies trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning, today's game surely felt like a definite loss as Reds' phenom closer, Aroldis Chapman, stepped onto the mound.  Well, Delmon Young's lead-off walk to start the inning sort of lessened those fears.  Cliff Lee ended up pinch-running for Young, and subsequently getting picked-off, however Erik Kratz delivered by tying the game on a home run to deep left field.  Freddy Galvis then followed by doing the unthinkable, going long also to deep left field to secure the Phillies the win.

Jonathan Pettibone threw well enough for his fourth win of the season, but he received the no-decision instead.  He lasted seven strong innings, allowing just two runs (one earned) over seven hits and three walks.

Opposing starter Homer Bailey was nearly unhittable, as he threw seven shutout innings, allowing just five hits and one walk over 96 total pitches.

Catcher Carlos Ruiz left today's game early with a strained right hamstring.  First baseman Ryan Howard has a knee injury and could be out tomorrow night.

The Phillies will head down to Miami to oppose their divisional opponent, the Marlins.  Cole Hamels starts the series opener Monday night, as he will look to get his season finally on the right track with a victory.

Game Summary After the Jump

Phillies Sign Carlos Zambrano

Former long-time Chicago Cub, Carlos Zambrano, has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Zambrano, 31, will participate later this week in an extended spring training assignment down in Clearwater.  He has a 3.66 ERA and a 132-91 overall record thus far in his 12-season career.

The recent injury of Roy Halladay and the prior John Lannan sparked the Phillies' interest in acquiring another starter, particularly a veteran.

Earlier this week, a Venezuelen source reported the news of the signing, but Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. called such news "extremely premature".  Well, it's a reality now, and Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock has his optimism about the signing. 

"We're just looking to add some starting pitching depth and some experience. No promises were made. It's low risk and hopefully high reward.  We got positive feedback from everybody who has interacted with him recently. We did our due diligence. It's just good business."

This signing could go either way, it could extremely help the ailing rotation but it also could hurt team chemistry due to his agressive-like behavior.  Hopefully the latter never comes about.

Matt Rappa is a Contributor for Buzz on Broad. You can find him on Twitter @mattrappa.

Pettibone Improves to 3-0 as Phils Win Series Opener, 6-2.

Final: Indians 2, Phillies 6.

WP: Jonathan Pettibone (3-0, 3.41 ERA) LP: Scott Kazmir (2-2, 5.33 ERA)

Think Scott Kazmir dislikes pitching at Citizens Bank Park? Compare his last start in Philadelphia, the game where the Phillies won their second-franchise World Series championship, to tonight. Sure, there is hardly any adrenaline going for a pitcher in the month of May that compares to anything like playoff baseball, but it appears as if his career has declined since the Fall Classic five years ago.

2008 World Series Game 5	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA	BF	Pit	Str
Scott Kazmir	4	4	2	2	6	5	0	4.21	23	103	62

Tuesday, May 14, 2013	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA	BF	Pit	Str
Scott Kazmir	5	6	4	4	2	3	2	5.33	24	96	60

The Phils' bats were alive tonight, and Domonic Brown & John Mayberry were the unexpected center pieces of the production.  Brown went 2-4 with 2 runs scored and a solo-home run for his seventh overall of the season.  Mayberry was even better, going 3-4 with 3 RBIs and a stolen base.  

Jonathan Pettibone surely took advantage of the run support he received tonight as he threw well enough to earn his third win of the season and also his career.  He lasted a career-high 6.2 innings, allowing just two runs on four hits and two walks.  92 of his 57 total pitches were thrown for strikes.

Cole Hamels starts tomorrow afternoon as the Phillies look to sweep the short, two-game series. First-pitch set for 1:05 pm ET. 

Game Summary After the Jump

Kendrick Solid, Howard Pulls Through to Secure 4-2 Win; Phils-Dbacks Split Series.

Final: Phillies 4, Diamondbacks 2.

WP: Justin DeFratus (1-0, 0.00 ERA) LP: Matt Reynolds (0-1, 0.96 ERA) SV: Jonathan Papelbon (7)

Trailing 2-0 in the top of the ninth inning, having been shutout by opposing starter Brandon McCarthy for eight innings, the Phillies got to Heath Bell and tied to game.   Chase Utley led the inning off with a double to deep right field, and Ryan Howard followed by advancing him to third on a groundout.  Then, Delmon Young doubled-home Chase on a ball down the middle of the plate by Bell, cutting their deficit in half.  The very next pitch, with John Mayberry pinch-running for D. Young, Domonic Brown singled him home and tied the game on his 18th RBI of the season.

Video Courtesy of MLB.com: Domonic Brown chases down a deep fly ball to left and reaches over the fence to rob a home run from Eric Chavez in the third

Kyle Kendrick threw a respectable seven innings today, allowing just two runs on six hits and zero walks.  The only runs he allowed were in the first inning, a leadoff home run to Parra and an A.J. Pollock RBI single to score Eric Chavez.  Afterwards, he was nearly unhittable and appeared once again to be the effective, efficient pitcher he has been thus far in 2013.  He received a no-decision today.

Then came the top of the tenth inning.  With runners on second and third and one out, Ryan Howard finally broke out of his slump and picked up his first hit of the series with a two-run RBI single to right field.  He was 0 for his last 18 with 10 strikeouts up to that point.

Justin DeFratus earned the win, throwing for the first time in the bigs this season after being recently promoted.   Jonathan Papelbon recorded his seventh save of the season, the 264th overall in his career.

The Phils have off tomorrow as they travel back home to Citizens Bank Park to conclude the westcoast road trip.  They will face the Cleveland Indians for a two-game series, before hosting the Phillies Phestival on Thursday in an effort to fight Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS.  First-pitch Tuesday is set for 7:05 pm ET, as Jonathan Pettibone will oppose Scott Kazmir, former 2008 American League Champion of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Game Summary after the jump.

Lee Earns Fourth Victory of Season, Papelbon Records Five-Out Save as Phils Win, 3-1.

Final: Phillies 3, Diamondbacks 1.

WP: Cliff Lee (4-2, 2.86 ERA) LP: Trevor Cahill (2-4, 2.70 ERA) SV: Jonathan Papelbon (6)

Cliff Lee, Jimmy Rollins, Ben Revere & Domonic Brown.  These four Phillies were the key contributors in tonight's action in securing the Phillies their 17th victory of the season.  Rollins recorded the game's first two RBIs, a sac-fly in a 5th and a single in the seventh that each brought home center fielder Ben Revere.  Domonic Brown provided a necessary insurance run in the top of the eighth inning to extend the lead to 3-0.

Jonathan Papelbon came in with one out in the bottom of the eighth, relieving Antonio Bastardo.  He recorded the five out save for his sixth save of 2013, the 263rd of his career.

Cliff lasted seven shutout innings, allowing just six hits and two walks while striking out six batters. He threw 114 pitches, 78 of them for strikes, and earned his fourth victory of the season.  He is now 129-80 overall in his 12-year career.   Batting-wise, Lee had three sacrifices bunts in his three total plate appearances. Thus he had no official at-bat, keeping his batting average at .231.

Kyle Kendrick (4-1) will start tomorrow in the series finale on Mother's Day.  First-pitch is set for 4:10 pm ET, and the game can be seen on MyPHL17. 

Game Summary after the jump.

Phils Rally Late; Lose in Extras, 4-3.

Final: Phillies 3, Giants 4.

WP: Javier Lopez (1-0, 3.24 ERA) LP: Antonio Bastardo (1-1, 1.69 ERA)

Trailing 3-1 in the top of the ninth inning, the Phillies refused to give up,  having already won the first two games of the series, and get ready to travel to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks.  With Sergio Romo on the mound for San Francisco, Jimmy Rollins started the inning off right with a double to deep right field.  Kevin Frandsen followed by fouling out, allowing Rollins to advance to third base.  After Michael Young walked to put runners on the corners, Chase Utley singled-home Rollins to shrink their deficit to just one run.  With Michael Young now on third base, Delmon Young hit a sacrifice fly RBI to right fielder Hunter Pence, tying the game at three runs a piece.

Jonathan Pettibone made his fourth career start this afternoon.  He lasted five and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and four walks.  One of his earned runs allowed was a home run to former Phillie, Hunter Pence, in the bottom of the second inning.  

Barry Zito was extremely effective for the Giants today, going a solid seven-strong innings, allowing just one run on four hits and no walks.  He allowed a home run to 1B Kevin Frandsen in the top of the fourth inning, Frandsen's first of the season.

Despite the late-rally for the Phils, the bullpen couldn't hold down the fort in extras as lefty Antonio Bastardo in the bottom of the tenth allowed the Giants' winning run to come home on an Andres Torres RBI single to right field.

Cole Hamels starts tomorrow evening in Arizona, as he looks to get back on the right-track and improve his rather disappointing 1-4 overall record.  First pitch is set for 9:40 pm ET.

Game Summary after the jump.