Three is Enough: Phils halt losing streak behind Lee

Cliff Lee picked off A.J. Pollock in the third inning. Lee picked up the win pitching seven shutout innings. Pollock struck out with the tying run on second to end the game.

In his last start on Monday, Cliff Lee was asked to play stopper. He did just that.

Saturday night was no different. Lee was out to halt a three-game losing streak. Runs came at a premium, but when all was said and done, it was the Phillies making the return to the win column.

Lee pitched seven shutout innings and the Phillies managed to outscore the D'Backs in a pitcher's duel, beating the D'Backs and snapping a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 win on Saturday night at Chase Field.

Lee and D'Backs starter Trevor Cahill traded scoreless innings through four innings. Finally, in the fifth, the Phillies managed a run.

Ben Revere led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Lee. A wild pitch moved Revere to third, allowing Jimmy Rollins to bring him home with a sacrifice fly.

The same scenario played out in the seventh. Revere singled and stole second. Lee bunted him to third. Rollins drove him in with a little more flare, hitting an RBI single.

An insurance run scored in the eighth as Domonic Brown added an RBI single.

Lee finished after working out of a jam in the seventh. After allowing two hits and a walk to load the bases with two outs, Lee got Wil Nieves to ground out to short to end the inning.

Lee finished with seven shutout innings allowing six hits. He walked two and struck out three, throwing 114 pitches.

Antonio Bastardo entered for the eighth and worked himself into trouble. With one out and runners at the corners, the Phillies turned to their closer.

Jonathan Papelbon had recorded two five-out saves in 2012. For his first one of 2013, he have to work around two jams. The first came easier. 

Papelbon finished the eighth allowing a sacrifice fly to Cody Ross – getting the D'Backs on the board – and a strikeout of Miguel Montero. 

Papelbon put the tying run on second with one out in the ninth. But he followed that with back-to-back strikeouts of Eric Hinske and A.J. Pollock to end the game.

The Phillies are now 17-21 with one game left on a week-long road trip against the D'Backs. Kyle Kendrick gets the start against Brandon McCarthy.

Kevin Durso is a contributor for Philliedelphia. You can follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.