Philadelphia @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 30, 2011 ) Philadelphia 9, Cincinnati 0

THE STORY: While Cliff Lee was downright dominant in June, his performance in August hasn't been too shabby, either. The Philadelphia Phillies lefthander recorded three complete-game shutouts and permitted only ond run in five outings in June. Lee is turning in an effort which is eerily similar this month as he collected three scoreless outings while yielding two runs overall. Lee will look to cap the month in style when he takes the mound against the host Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Fellow southpaw Dontrelle Willis will provide the opposition for Cincinnati, which has dropped two in a row after winning four straight.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CS Philadelphia, FS Ohio (Cincinnati)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies LF Cliff Lee (14-7, 2.71 ERA) vs. Reds LH Dontrelle Willis (0-3, 4.10).

Lee tossed seven scoreless innings and struck out seven in as many innings as the Phillies cruised to a 10-0 victory over the New York Mets on Aug. 22. Lee, who turned 33 on Tuesday, has posted a 5-2 career mark versus the Reds. He yielded four runs but struck out eight in as many innings May 26 to secure a 10-4 victory over Cincinnati. Willis is still searching for his first win of the season despite yielding three or fewer runs in all but one of his outings in 2011. He collected his second straight no-decision after allowing three runs in seven innings, although he issued a season-high five walks against the Washington Nationals on Friday. Willis does own an 8-7 career mark with two shutouts versus Philadelphia.

ABOUT THE PHILLIES (85-46): Veteran outfielder Raul Ibanez made a triumphant return to the starting lineup. Ibanez, who has been plagued by a groin injury since Aug. 21, collected three hits - including a two-run homer in the seventh inning - as Philadelphia cruised to a 9-0 victory Tuesday. Ryan Howard homered twice and drove in three runs to secure his franchise-best sixth straight season of at least 100 RBIs. His two-run blast in the fourth inning moved him past Hall of Famer Chuck Klein, who had recorded five consecutive campaigns with triple-digit RBIs. Howard is 4-for-11 in his career against Willis. Hunter Pence's solo homer in the sixth was his 800th career hit. Pence has six homers since being acquired from the Houston Astros on July 30.

ABOUT THE REDS (67-68): Brandon Phillips had a leadoff bloop single in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. Cincinnati wouldn't muster another hit until Joey Votto led off the seventh with a double. In fact, Votto would collect two of the Reds' four hits Tuesday. The reigning National League MVP has fared well versus Lee, going 4-for-9 with a homer in his career. Former Phillie Miguel Cairo is 8-for-16 against Lee. Paul Janish flied out in his lone at-bat Tuesday. Janish has failed to collect a hit in his last 23 at-bats. Cincinnati is expected to activate outfielder Chris Heisey from the disabled list when rosters expand Thursday. Heisey, who is working his way back from an oblique injury, has one hit in eight at-bats during his rehab assignment with Triple A Louisville.

FINAL PITCH: The Phillies certainly have the Reds' number. Philadelphia has won five of the six meetings this season and 28 of 40 outings over the last six campaigns. In addition, the latter set of numbers does not include last season's three-game sweep in the National League Division Series.