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Phils go for 40th win in finale vs. Cubs

Jun 12, 2011 - 3:46 PM (Sports Network) - Owners of the best record in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies aim to become the majors' first club with 40 wins when they wrap up a four-game series versus the Chicago Cubs today at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies are 39-26 and have won back-to-back games over the Cubs following a series-opening loss in 11 innings on Thursday. They have won five of seven overall and improved to 4-2 on an 11-game homestand with Saturday's 7-1 victory behind eight superb innings from Cliff Lee and four RBI out of Chase Utley. Lee allowed one run and four hits and struck out seven, while Utley homered and collected two hits for the NL East-leading Phillies.

"He used all of his pitches. He was in command of the game," Phils manager Charlie Manuel said of his lefty. "When he uses his curveball, that gets 'em to chase, especially when he's up in the count. That's a good pitch for him."

Lee improved to 4-0 lifetime against the Cubs and has won his last four starts at home. Phillies starting pitchers are now 18-7 for the season in their own back yard. Shane Victorino aided Lee with three hits, three runs scored and an RBI in a winning effort. Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez also knocked in runs to help Philadelphia to its second straight seven-run outburst.

Philadelphia, which is 8-2 on Saturday's this season and 5-0 at home, will also welcome Florida to town for four games and will play a doubleheader versus the Marlins on Wednesday.

Phils starter Roy Oswalt is still searching for his first win since April 21 and will try again this afternoon. Oswalt is 0-4 with a 3.94 earned run average in his last six starts and the Phillies are just 1-5 over that stretch. Oswalt has dropped back-to-back starts and previously pitched in Tuesday's 6-2 loss against the Dodgers in which he was reached for four runs and eight hits over six innings.

Oswalt, who is 3-4 with a 3.05 ERA in 10 overall starts, began the year 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA in four trips to the bump, but has fallen on hard times. The righty is 1-2 in four home starts this season and will face Chicago for the 33rd time in his career, In the first 32 appearances, 31 of which have been starts, Oswalt is 14-13 with a 3.82 ERA. He previously faced the Cubs in an 8-5 loss last June 5 as a member of NL Central-rival Houston and was rocked for six runs and nine hits in seven innings for the loss.

Chicago has lost 10 of its last 12 games and fell to 2-7 on a 10-game road trip following Saturday's 7-1 setback.

Matt Garza pitched well in defeat, surrendering two runs -- one earned -- and five hits in six innings. Sean Marshall was reached for two runs in the seventh inning and Casey Coleman gave up three runs and two hits, including Utley's home run, in the eighth inning.

"The biggest thing today was trying to get strike one," Garza said. "I fell behind a lot early and tried to wiggle out of it."

Lou Montanez drove in the Cubs' only run in the third inning and had one of his club's four hits on the day. Up-and-coming second baseman Darwin Barney led Chicago with two hits in a losing effort, while leadoff hitter Starlin Castro was 0-for-3 with a run scored. Surprisingly, Cubs leadoff hitters own an MLB-best .407 on-base percentage.

The Cubs will head home Sunday to begin a tough seven-game residency at Wrigley Field versus the Brewers (4 games) and Yankees (3 games). They are 16-14 when their starters go at least six innings and 9-24 otherwise.

The last time Cubs starter Doug Davis reached the win column was last May 5 at Los Angeles as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. Davis will toe the rubber today and is donning a Cubs uniform now, sporting an 0-5 record with a 6.37 earned run average in five starts. He previously pitched in an 8-2 loss at Cincinnati and permitted four runs on seven hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings.

Davis, a left-hander, fell to 0-2 in two road starts and is still nine wins shy of 100 for his career. Davis has made eight career starts against the Phillies, going 2-2 with a 3.71 ERA in that span. He last faced Philadelphia in a 12-3 loss on August 20, 2009 with Arizona and yielded six runs -- five earned -- in five innings of work.

Chicago won four of six versus Philadelphia last season, splitting a two-game series at Citizens Bank Park. The Cubs are playing their first four-game series in south Philly since going 1-3 at Veterans Stadium in 2003.