• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Phils and Red Sox open anticipated set at Citizens Bank Park

Jun 28, 2011 - 2:53 PM (Sports Network) - While the rest of the baseball world may see this week's meeting between the Phillies and Red Sox as a potential World Series matchup, Philadelphia's Ryan Howard isn't looking that far ahead and doesn't think Boston is either.

"I don't think anybody in here said anything about a World Series preview, said Howard. "I don't think anybody over there said it. For us, it's a long way to that right now. I think, yeah, for both teams it's going to be a great series."

This highly-anticipated three-game set kicks off with an excellent pitching matchup tonight as Philadelphia's Cliff Lee goes for a third straight shutout opposite Boston's Josh Beckett, who threw one of the best outings of his career last time out.

Talks of these two teams meeting in the Fall Classic heated up when the Red Sox added outfielder Carl Crawford and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to their already powerful offense this offseason. Philadelphia, which has appeared in two of the past three World Series, made a big splash of its own as well, signing Lee as a free agent to join Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels to form an outstanding starting rotation.

So far, both moves have paid off. Boston leads all of baseball with 409 runs scored and is a half-game back of the Yankees for first place in the American League East, while Philadelphia's team 3.05 earned run average is the best in the majors and has helped them take a 4 1/2-game lead over the Braves for the top spot in the NL East.

Lee has been a big part of that, winning four straight starts and posting back-to-back shutouts. He hasn't allowed a run in 23 straight innings while yielding just one over his past 33 frames.

The left-hander gave up just a pair of hits in beating the Marlins on June 16, then scattered six hits and a walk in a win over the Cardinals on Wednesday. Lee improved to 8-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 16 starts and is 6-1 with a 1.88 ERA in nine at home.

"He moved the ball in and out, he didn't stay in one place," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said about Lee. "He got on a good roll and just kind of stayed on it. He was pretty good."

Lee, who is looking to win five straight starts for the first time since a string of eight in a row from July 16-Aug. 24, 2009 with the Indians and Phillies, is just 2-4 with a 4.06 ERA in 10 career starts against the Red Sox. However, the 32-year-old held them to a pair of runs over nine innings of an outing last year with Texas, getting a no-decision in an extra-inning clash.

If any pitcher can go toe-to-toe with Lee, it is Beckett, but the righty hasn't started since June 15 because of a stomach illness. However, he threw a gem that day, tossing his first career one-hit shutout to beat the Rays. He retired the final 19 batters faced after allowing a third-inning single and moved to 6-2 in 14 starts with a major-league leading 1.86 ERA.

It marked Beckett's seventh straight start of at least six innings pitched and five hits allowed or fewer, the longest such streak for the Red Sox since Rogers Clemens did so in eight starts in a row during the 1994 season.

Beckett, who threw his fifth career shutout and 10th complete game, last faced the Phillies on June 14, 2009 at Citizens Bank Park. The 30-year-old suffered a loss in south Philly, giving up seven runs -- six earned -- over six innings to fall to 8-4 with a 3.98 ERA in this matchup.

Beckett will try to extend the Red Sox's recent run of success against the Phillies. Boston took four of six in this series last year, including two of three in Philadelphia, and has won 17 of the past 22 matchups overall.

The Red Sox avoided a sweep against another Keystone State resident on Sunday, snapping a four-game slide with a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Andrew Miller got the win with six solid innings, while Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis snapped a tie game with an RBI each in the seventh inning.

"We persevered. We grinded one out," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who served that role with the Phillies from 1997-2000.

Pedroia went 1-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 11 straight games, but J.D. Drew exited early because of an eye injury suffered before the game in the batting cage. The ailment isn't considered serious and Drew could start this game.

Philadelphia is also coming off a victory, winning Sunday's rubber match with Oakland by a 3-1 margin. Halladay turned in his NL-leading fifth complete game of the season to record his 10th triumph.

Jimmy Rollins went 4-for-4 with two runs scored for the Phillies, who have won four of six and at 15-9 this month have posted their first winning June since 2003.