Cliff Lee (oblique) thinks he's "heading in the right direction" and that his stint on the disabled list will be a short one. "We were debating on whether to just miss a start or go on the 15-day DL," Lee said. "So we erred on the side of caution and played it safe. I can't really argue with that. The past couple of days it was pretty sore. But today it felt better than yesterday. We're heading in the right direction. Hopefully I'll miss just a couple of starts and it will be back to normal." It's encouraging that Lee is already feeling better, but obliques are tricky and rarely result in minimum DL stints. He's eligible for activation on May 4, but we remain skeptical that he'll be ready then.

Phillies placed LHP Cliff Lee on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 19, with a left oblique strain. This is a tough blow for the Phillies. Lee was brilliant over ten innings in his previous outing, only throwing 102 pitches so overuse shouldn't be the factor behind this ailment. No word yet on what the Phillies will do to replace Lee's spot in the rotation.

Cliff Lee threw 10 shutout innings against the Giants Wednesday, but got stuck with a no-decision as the Phillies lost 1-0 in 11 innings. It was that kind of night in San Francisco, where Lee and Matt Cain combined to throw just 193 pitches in 19 scoreless innings, but both got saddled with no-decisions. The outing was obviously the longest of Lee's career, while he is the first pitcher to complete 10 innings of work since teammate Roy Halladay and Aaron Harang both did so in 2007. Lee is the first pitcher to toss 10 shutout innings since Mark Mulder in 2005, however. Lee threw just 102 pitches, and might have come out for the 11th had his spot in the batting order not come up with a runner on third base with one out in the 10th. As it stands, Lee is now the owner of a 1.96 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 18/2 K/BB ratio through his first 23 innings of work. He'll get the Diamondbacks in Arizona his next time out.

Cliff Lee held the Pirates to two hits and one run over six innings Saturday but was left with a no-decision. The Phillies lost to the Bucs in the 10th inning, when Lee was already iced up and sitting on the bench. The left-hander struck out four and walked two batters while throwing 59 of his 99 pitches for strikes. He'll face the Mets next time out.

Cliff Lee gave up a run in four innings Sunday in his tuneup against the Braves. Lee ends the spring with a 2.45 ERA. He'll get the Pirates in his opening assignment on Saturday.

Cliff Lee allowed one run in six innings and struck out seven Thursday against the Blue Jays. Lee wasn't getting knocked around quite as much as Roy Halladay, but he did enter this one with a 4.66 ERA for the spring. Today's performance was much more what we're used to seeing from Lee.

Cliff Lee worked three innings and gave up two runs and six hits Sunday versus the Tigers. The runs came right away, as Ramon Santiago singled to start the game and No. 2 hitter Ryan Raburn followed with a homer. None of the other four hits did any damage. Lee ended up striking out three and walking none.

Cliff Lee shook off his abdominal soreness to throw two scoreless innings against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. Lee allowed two hits, walked one and struck out one. The abdominal issues are nothing new for him, but this one was just a minor pull, leaving his fantasy value unaffected.

Cliff Lee (abdomen) is scheduled to pitch on Tuesday. Lee has been battling an abdominal pull he sustained early in camp, but it appears as though he has fully recovered. He is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.40 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 238/42 K/BB ratio.

Cliff Lee (abdomen) threw a bullpen session Sunday without any issues. Lee had his first bullpen session of the spring postponed due to some mild abdominal soreness, but it's a non-issue and the left-hander should be good to go moving forward. Lee is coming off a season where he posted a 2.40 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 238/42 K/BB ratio.