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Cliff Lee and Erik Kratz embrace after Lee pitched a three-hit shutout against the Marlins in the Phillies’ 3-0 win on Wednesday night. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

In the previous eight games the Phillies had played with their record sitting two games below the .500 mark, they had failed to pull to within a game. Cliff Lee was not about to let that happen a ninth time.

Lee twirled a masterpiece in his Wednesday night start, while the offense managed just enough to slip past the Marlins for the second straight night.

Lee’s first shutout of the season, and the Phillies’ second, highlighted a 3-0 win over the Marlins on Wednesday night at Marlins Park.

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Ryan Howard is greeted by Tyler Cloyd after exiting in the eighth inning. Howard had three hits and three RBI in the Phillies’ 7-3 win over the Marlins. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The lineup card featured a familiar face on Tuesday night. But moments before the start of the game, it lost another.

Chase Utley was absent from the lineup as a late scratch after suffering soreness in his ribcage during batting practice. But Ryan Howard made up for his absence in the lineup Monday night in a big way.

Howard returned to the lineup with three hits and three RBI, leading the Phillies’ offense in a 7-3 win over the Marlins on Tuesday night at Marlins Park.

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Freddy Galvis leaps into the celebration at home plate after hitting a walk-off home run in the ninth inning of the Phillies’ 3-2 win over the Reds. (Kevin Durso/Phillies Network)

There are two words that are usually associated with Aroldis Chapman. They are not walk-off win. They are game over.

But like every closer, Chapman is subject to mortality. The pitcher who usually dazzles with triple-digit speeds was very hittable, topping off at 98 mph on the afternoon. The 98 mph fastball that was Chapman’s fastest ran into the bat of Erik Kratz. Kratz had 11 career home runs entering the game. In his book already was another dangerous and well-established closer: Craig Kimbrel. Add Chapman to the list.

Kratz’ game-tying home run negated a baserunning blunder that appeared to cost the Phillies a chance to at the very least tie the game. After Kratz showed the heroics to tie the game, Freddy Galvis ended it with a blast of his own, giving the Phillies a dramatic 3-2 win over the Reds on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.

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Domonic Brown, Delmon Young and John Mayberry Jr. walk off the field after the Phillies’ 10-0 loss to the Reds. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

Kyle Kendrick had not allowed more than two runs in a start while on the mound on the season. With one swing, that ended.

The three-run home run by Ryan Hanigan sealed the fate of the Phillies game against the Reds on Saturday. It just simply felt like one of those days right from the crack of the bat.

That was only the beginning for the Reds offense, who belted out 16 hits en route to a 10-0 bashing of the Phillies on Saturday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.

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Ryan Howard scores on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Ruiz in the eighth inning of the Phillies’ 5-3 win over the Reds. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

The biggest hit of the game for the Phillies might have gone 45 feet. Ryan Howard finally found a new way to beat the dreaded shift.

After Antonio Bastardo gave up a game-tying home run in the top of the eighth, the Phillies managed two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on some very little plays.

With another save from Jonathan Papelbon, the Phillies held on for a 5-3 win over the Reds in the series opener on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.

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Cole Hamels walks back to the mound after allowing a solo home run to Mike Aviles in the fourth inning of the Phillies’ 10-4 loss to the Indians. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr)

There’s something about the top three in the rotation. There’s something about the Cleveland Indians. Whatever the reason, the Phillies just can’t play well on the days when Cole Hamels pitches. For whatever reason, the Indians have the Phillies’ number this year.

Hamels battled deep counts and a tight strike zone all day, managing one of his worst outings of the season. Even with that, the game was still close enough for the Phillies to rally back. But the bullpen failed the Phillies as well, never really stopping the bleeding.

In the end, the Indians posted their third rout of the Phillies on the season, winning the series finale on Wednesday afternoon by a score of 10-4 at Citizens Bank Park.

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Carlos Ruiz scores on John Mayberry Jr.’s two-run double in the fourth inning of the Phillies’ 6-2 win over the Cleveland Indians. (Kevin Durso/Phillies Network)

Jonathan Pettibone started the game for the Phillies on the mound and led the pitching. John Mayberry Jr. lifted the offense. Jonathan Papelbon closed the door.

The three Johns – or Jons – were the leaders on a night when everything seemed to click for the Phillies. They hit consistently once again, scattering 10 hits. They pitched well, led by Pettibone, despite having to use three pitchers in a crazy eighth inning. And finally, Papelbon finished the job again.

It all resulted in the completion of the Phillies’ second three-game winning streak of the season as they started their revenge on Ohio with a 6-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

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Ryan Howard hits a two-run single in the 10th inning of the Phillies’ 4-2 win over the D’Backs. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

After eight innings of frustration at the hands of Brandon McCarthy, the Phillies had finally had enough. When Heath Bell took the mound for the save, the Phillies ruined a Sunday afternoon save opportunity.

Three hits in the ninth inning evened the score after the Phillies had struggled to rebound from two first-inning runs, forcing extras.

Two more runs in the 10^th gave the Phillies the lead and they held it down, stealing away a 4-2 win from the D’Backs on Sunday afternoon at Chase Field.

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Jonathan Papelbon celebrates after striking out A.J. Pollock to end the game and finish a five-out save in the Phillies’ 3-1 win over the D’Backs. (AP Photo/Matt York)

In his last start on Monday, Cliff Lee was asked to play stopper. He did just that.

Saturday night was no different. Lee was out to halt a three-game losing streak. Runs came at a premium, but when all was said and done, it was the Phillies making the return to the win column.

Lee pitched seven shutout innings and the Phillies managed to outscore the D’Backs in a pitcher’s duel, beating the D’Backs and snapping a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 win on Saturday night at Chase Field.

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Miguel Montero is congratulated by Eric Hinske after hitting the go-ahead home run in the eighth inning. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Phillies entered Friday night’s game with 20 losses on the season. Seven of them were charged to relief pitchers. The number reached eight on Friday.

An early lead slowly slipped away as the Phillies couldn’t cling to a one-run lead for nine innings. Tyler Cloyd’s debut was wasted and the Diamondbacks got some late heroics thanks to the backstop.

Miguel Montero’s homer to lead off the eighth inning off Mike Adams proved to be the difference in a 3-2 D’Backs win on Friday night at Chase Field.

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