A one-run loss is nothing new for the Phillies. The tandem of Cliff Lee and Jonathan Papelbon giving up a three-run lead in the ninth, however, is a stunner.

"I don't know what is worse, losing 15-0 or getting beat that way. Either way, it's a loss and it doesn't sit well with me," Papelbon said after blowing his third consecutive save and his fourth blown save in his last five appearances.

Lee gave up two straight hits to open the ninth inning. Many people questioned Charlie Manuel's decision to allow Lee to start the ninth inning instead of allowing his closer to begin the final frame.

“I wanted to send Lee back out there,” Manuel told the media in San Diego. “Pap had a lot of work last week and Lee was pitching a good game. I was waging a lot of things. But evidently I didn’t make the right choice.”

As for Lee he wanted to remain in the game, even after totaling 109 pitches entering the ninth inning.

“I wanted to stay in the game and I’m glad I got the chance,” he said. “I felt like I made good pitches (in the ninth). They just put good swings on them.

Another rough outing for Papelbon ended with the Padres scoring the tying run on a passed ball by catcher Carlos Ruiz.  Papelbon started the inning giving up a two run single, hitting a batter, a getting a ground ball double play. After a ninth-inning meltdown in which he allowed three runs to score Papelbon offered this to the assembled media.

"(Bleep) happens,” said Papelbon, he said

Back to Lee who recently made comments saying that he just wanted to win.  Many thought that was a sign that maybe he was indicating he wanted to be traded, last night's debacle might nudge him more in that direction.

“I don’t know what to say. I felt like I pitched a good game and gave us a chance to win. It just didn’t happen.”

Not only did it not happen, Lee pitched about as well as you can ask for to open a 10-game road trip and had to sit and watch as first Papelbon then Justin De Fratus let the game slip away from the Phillies.

“It just fell apart at the end,” De Fratus told the media. “It’s tough.”

With all that said, Lee and Papelbon will have to put this loss behind them. Neither is one to linger on a loss or wallow in a rare failure.

Both will bounce back, but will it eventually be in another uniform?

 

 

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