Should Philly Have Started Cliff Lee Instead?

The woulda-coulda-shoulda’s are already starting circulating in Philadelphia and you can imagine there’s one in particular that folks will be discussing on the morning talk shows. Should Manuel have started ace Cliff Lee tonight instead of Joe Blanton? Athletics Nation thinks it was a no-brainer.

From the beginning, when a game that should have, IMO, been started by Cliff Lee, went instead to Joe Blanton, ensuring that Lee will not pitch thrice in the series — the only way I foresaw Philly pulling off an upset. Blanton pitched a lot better than the numbers suggest, as he was nickel and dimed to death in the 5th by a well-placed chopper, a seeing eye single, and a flair to right field hit so weakly it hit 3 pigeons and 2 of them didn’t even notice.

But Lee should have gotten the call, and on a night when the Phillies’ offense had 4 runs in them they might have prevailed behind their ace.

Lee will get the start in Game 5. Perhaps too little, too late.