PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Cliff Lee tossed a five-hit shutout, his sixth whitewash of the year, and Hunter Pence drove in three runs Monday in Philadelphia's 9-0 victory over Atlanta.
Lee (16-7) didn't issue a walk and struck out six, tossing 70 of his 100 pitches for strikes as he claimed his seventh straight win. The left-hander has 56 strikeouts over his last seven outings and hasn't lost since July 25.
Pence's two-run single in the first inning set the tone and he added an RBI double in the fifth for the National League East-leading Phillies, who stretched their advantage over the second-place Braves to 8 1/2 games while improving to 82-57.
Ryan Howard socked a solo homer while Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz each added a two-run single for Philadelphia.
Derek Lowe (9-13) coughed up seven runs (five earned) on eight hits in a five-inning start for the Braves, who hold an 8 1/2-game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the NL wild-card chase.
