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Phillies return home to face Dodgers

Jun 6, 2011 - 2:29 PM (Sports Network) - After getting a solid effort by one ace to snap a season high-tying losing streak, the Philadelphia Phillies hope that Cliff Lee can follow a similar pattern and recover from one of his worst outings of the season.

The former Cy Young Award winner will try to do just that this evening when the Phils return home to kick off an 11-game stay at Citizens Bank Park with the first of three straight against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Lee takes the hill nearly a week after being denied a third straight winning start on Tuesday versus the Nationals. The left-hander matched a season high by allowing six runs over 5 1/3 innings in a 10-2 setback, walking three batters. Lee has issued 19 walks in 12 starts this season after allowing just 18 in 28 outings a season ago.

The 32-year-old dipped to 4-5 with a 3.94 earned run average on the season, but is 3-1 with a 2.72 ERA in six starts in that time.

Lee has faced the Dodgers just once before and did not earn a decision against them despite pitching 7 1/3-innings of one-run ball.

Lee will be looking to pitch the Phillies to a second straight victory after they avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Pirates with Sunday's 7-3 win. Roy Halladay earned his major league lead-tying eighth victory of the season with seven innings of two-run ball, halting Philadelphia's four-game slide in the process.

"I'd rather keep winning streaks going, but I think you try to do the best job you can regardless. It takes everybody to do it," Halladay said.

Ryan Howard drove in three runs on a pair of hits, while Raul Ibanez connected on a sacrifice fly to drive in the 1,000th run of his career.

If the Phillies are to build a winning streak tonight, Lee will have to slow down Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, who has four homers and 12 RBI in his last five games. He hit two home runs and drove in six runs in Saturday's 11-8 victory over the Reds, then helped Los Angeles to a series win by hitting a two-run homer in yesterday's 9-6 win.

"I feel really good right now. I feel real comfortable. I think a lot of us are at the plate," said Kemp, who is hitting .323 with 16 homers and 48 RBI on the season.

Chad Billingsley gave up four runs over five innings, but helped himself pick up the victory at the plate by homering and driving in three runs.

"Anything I can do to make a difference in the outcome of a game, I try to do it," said Billingsley after the Dodgers won for the fifth time in seven games.

That is the mentality the Dodgers hope Ted Lilly brings to the mound tonight as he aims for a second straight winning start.

Lilly won for the first time in four starts on Tuesday versus Colorado, hurling seven innings of two-run ball while striking out a season-high eight batters without a walk. The southpaw hasn't walked more than two batters in 24 starts since joining the Dodgers and his 3.43 strikeout to walk ratio is the fourth-lowest in the National League since 2007.

Lilly has pitched at least six innings in seven straight outings and is 4-4 with a 4.22 ERA in 12 starts this year.

Though the 35-year-old bested the Phillies in his only start versus them last year, striking out 10 on July 16 while with the Cubs, he is just 1-4 with a 5.91 ERA in six career outings against the club and is just 1-2 with a 7.16 ERA in three career games at Citizens Bank Park.

Lilly will likely not have to face Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins tonight. Rollins sat out Sunday's finale against the Pirates after fouling a ball off his right knee in the first inning the previous day.

"I don't think it's a DL thing," Rollins told Philadelphia's website. "If it's still swollen in four days and there's no improvement, we might have to take a closer look into it, but I definitely wouldn't put it that far at this point. I can still walk on it."

The Phillies took four of six from the Dodgers a season ago.