PHILADELPHIA — Cliff Lee pitched a five-hitter for his sixth shutout of the season Monday night, helping the National League East-leading Philadelphia Phillies beat the second-place Atlanta Braves 9-0.
Lee (16-7) struck out six, walked none and needed only 100 pitches to finish off the Braves after falling one out shy of a shutout in his previous start at Cincinnati. The left-hander has won his last seven starts and hasn’t allowed a run in five of those games.
The major-league-leading Phillies increased their lead to 8 1/2 games over Atlanta and reduced their magic number for clinching their fifth straight NL East title to 16 with 25 games remaining.
Hunter Pence drove in three runs, Ryan Howard hit a solo homer and Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz had two-run singles to help Philadelphia rough up Derek Lowe.
Lowe (9-13) allowed seven runs — five earned — and eight hits in five innings. The veteran righty had pitched well in his previous three starts, allowing just three earned runs in 18 innings.