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Lee ties record, but Braves snag win

May 7, 2011 - 3:24 AM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Derek Lowe carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, helping the Braves spoil Cliff Lee's 16-strikeout performance in a 5-0 victory over the Phillies.

Lee (2-3) matched a Phillies record for strikeouts in a game by a left-hander, but gave up nine hits, including a string in the third inning that led to three runs.

Lowe (3-3), on the other hand, held Philadelphia without a hit until Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco opened the seventh with consecutive hits. Lowe appeared to be suffering from a leg injury when he was pulled after that, having walked one and struck out four.

The Braves' bullpen completed the two-hitter from there, securing Atlanta's sixth consecutive win.

Lee also walked one in seven innings for the Phillies, who had swept Washington before dropping Friday's weekend series opener.

"I don't really care about the strikeouts that much, to be honest," Lee said. "We lost the game, so who cares?"

Lee got out of a first-inning jam, and hit a groove after working a 1-2-3 second and striking out the first two batters in the third.

But then the Braves got to him by jumping on pitches early in the count. Alex Gonzalez ripped a first-pitch cutter to left field, and Raul Ibanez tracked the ball to the fence, but couldn't catch it. The ball hit the wire mesh atop the fence before hitting the back of Ibanez's glove and falling in for a double.

Chipper Jones then put a good swing on a first-pitch fastball, and the ball deflected off the glove of shortstop Jimmy Rollins, allowing Gonzalez to score.

Jones crossed the plate after Brian McCann smacked Lee's second pitch to the left-center field wall. McCann stopped at second base, then scored when Dan Uggla lined a first-pitch changeup to left field for a double.

Lee then struck out Freddie Freeman to end the rally, but the 3-0 lead was enough for Lowe.

The only baserunner he allowed early in the game was Ben Francisco, who he walked with one away in the second inning. But Lowe controlled the Phillies' lineup for the most part. The Braves' infielders managed to scoop up the grounders he induced, including a diving stop by Uggla, to preserve the no-hit bid through six innings.

"He had the ball down, and early in the game, probably through about the first four innings, we were chasing a lot of balls," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.

Lee, meanwhile, struck out three in the seventh to conclude his outing and set a career high, and Victorino gave the Phillies' offense some life by beginning the bottom half with a single to left.

Polanco followed by blasting a ball to center, but Victorino had to stop at third after it bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double. The Phillies' promising rally ended after Eric O'Flaherty struck out the next three hitters.

Jonny Venters worked a perfect eighth, and the Braves picked tacked on two runs in the top of the ninth.

Martin Prado and Gonzalez hit RBI singles off Danys Baez, and Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless bottom half to secure the victory.

Game Notes

Polanco left the game in the seventh after fouling a ball off his right big toe. Manuel said the team trainer told him Polanco's toe might be sore overnight..Lee has recorded double-digit strikeouts in four starts this season. His previous career high was 13, which he recorded July 27 of last season, when he pitched for Texas...The Phillies' record for most strikeouts in a game is 17, set by Art Mahaffey on April 23, 1961.