Lee shuts down Rox

By Bob Herpen

Philadelphia, PA - Cliff Lee took a shutout into the ninth inning in his first career postseason start and Raul Ibanez collected two hits and knocked in two runs as the Philadelphia Phillies downed the Colorado Rockies, 5-1, in Game 1 of the National League Division Series from Citizens Bank Park.

Lee (1-0) scattered six hits and one run over his complete-game victory, striking out five without issuing a walk.

The left-hander also retired 16 consecutive batters from the second inning until the seventh en route to becoming the first Phillies starter to pitch a complete game in the playoffs since Curt Schilling during Game 5 of the 1993 World Series.

Ryan Howard finished 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Phillies, who reeled off their fourth consecutive playoff victory dating back to the 2008 Fall Classic. Jayson Werth went 2-for-3 with an RBI triple and scored twice while Carlos Ruiz added a run-scoring hit.

Troy Tulowitzki's two-out ninth-inning RBI double provided the lone run for the Rockies, who are playing in their first playoff series since losing the 2007 World Series.

Ubaldo Jimenez (0-1) was rocked for nine hits and five runs over five-plus innings in defeat, fanning four with one walk.

Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday at 2:37 p.m. (et) in Philadelphia, with last season's World Series MVP Cole Hamels on the mound for the Phillies taking on Colorado's Aaron Cook.

Lee grew more dominant on the hill as the game progressed, not allowing a hit from Yorvit Torrealba's leadoff second-inning double through Garrett Atkins' two-out double in the seventh.

Colorado went quietly in the eighth on three consecutive groundouts and Lee started the ninth by getting Dexter Fowler on an easy fly to left. Carlos Gonzalez singled, then an out later advanced to second on a wild pitch before Tulowitzki knocked him in with a two-bagger to the wall in right-center.

Atkins then whiffed at strike three to end the contest.

Colorado got to Lee in the first, putting runners on the corners with two down but Atkins' fly out to center ended the threat.

Lee singled with two outs in the third and stole second but Jimmy Rollins went down swinging.

The Phillies finally broke a scoreless deadlock in the fifth with a pair of runs. Werth drew a leadoff walk and scored when Ibanez doubled inside the right-field line. A Pedro Feliz grounder moved him to third, and he scored as Ruiz dumped a single to right and took second when the ball skittered away from Rockies right-fielder Brad Hawpe.

Lee's grounder to the mound turned into a rundown in which Ruiz was tagged out, then Rollins singled but Shane Victorino popped out to end the inning.

Chase Utley began the sixth with a single, stole second and scored when Gonzalez failed to bring in Howard's long fly at the left-field wall which turned into a double. Werth reached third when he slammed a ball off the top of the wall in left-center for a 4-0 game that chased Jimenez for Joe Beimel. Ibanez greeted him with an RBI single then Matt Daley came on and managed to get out of the frame without further damage.