Can't Afford Cliff Dive: Phils Comeback Must Start With Lee

November 2, 2009 3:44 p.m. EST

Philadelphia, PA (AHN) - The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to Cliff Lee to right the ship against the powerful Yankees lineup.

Lee gets the ball Monday with the Phillies down 3-1 in the World Series.

The Phillies can't afford Lee to be anything but himself. He's 3-0 in four postseason starts with a 0.54 earned run average.

Tonight's Game 5 at Citizens Bank Park in Philly is an elimination game for the Phils. The Yankees can close out and win another championship.

Lee dominated the Yankees in the opening game on the World Series.

"Regardless of what happened last game, it doesn't matter," said Lee. "It's over for me whether it's good, bad or indifferent. You've got to keep pushing forward, keep doing your work to prepare for the next one and don't get outside of that."

"You can break it down game to game, inning to inning, out to out, pitch to pitch. You've got to keep your mind in the moment and do what you need to do right now to take care of business. And once it's over, it's over. That's kind of how I look at it," he added.

Lee has carried a heavy load this season for the Indians and Phillies, but says he hasn't changed his routine during off days.

"Everything is exactly the same," he said. "I've thrown basically the same bullpen [routine] from the start to the finish. I feel as good now as I've felt at any point this during the year. That tells me that what I'm doing in the offseason and the preparation I do is right and I need to continue to do the same thing. My routine is working."

Monday's Game 5 airs on Fox.