Phillies top Cubs

Lee, with some big-time assistance from the gloves behind him, worked seven shutout innings and Jake Diekman and Jonathan Papelbon made it two straight days of hitless and scoreless work from the bullpen as the Phillies (3-2) blanked the Cubs, 2-0, at Wrigley Field Saturday afternoon.

Lee has two wins in two starts, but this performance was much easier on the eyes than his Opening Day misadventure when he allowed eight runs over five innings.

That outing helped shrink Lee’s ERA from 14.40 to 6.00, and since that wild, 14-10 win in Texas in his first start, the Phillies’ starting pitchers have allowed just four earned runs in the last four games, stretching over 25 1/3 innings (1.42 ERA).

Lee couldn’t have had that dominating a performance without flawless defense behind him, including crucial and impressive plays by Marlon Byrd in right field and Jimmy Rollins at shortstop.

Byrd’s grab in right on a tailing Justin Ruggiano fly ball came with Starlin Castro on first with one out and required a long run toward the corner and a basket catch.

Byrd spent two seasons with the Cubs as their everyday centerfielder, and the working knowledge of how balls play in Wrigley comes in handy.

“I knew exactly when the sun was going to creep to right field Balls in right, they kind of slice back to you.

The Phils put up a couple of early runs to give Lee some space, as Chase Utley launched a two-out solo homer off Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija in the top of the first to nearly the same spot he homered the day before.

That left the rest to Lee and the bullpen, as Diekman worked a strong eighth and Papelbon, who Wednesday in Texas had a ninth-inning meltdown for a blown save in his first chance of 2014, worked a 1-2-3 ninth that included a hard-fought strikeout of Bonifacio to close it out.