pitching in

It took Cliff Lee some three months to get his first win in a hard-luck 2012 season. After two starts this year, the veteran left-hander from Meridian Community College is 2-0, with a 1.08 ERA, for Philadelphia. Lee went 8 2/3 innings to beat the New York Mets on Tuesday. In 16 2/3 innings, he has 14 strikeouts and no walks. … Former Holmes CC star Roy Oswalt, who is unsigned after last year’s rough go (5.80 ERA) in Texas, reportedly tweeted in response to a fan’s question that he would “love to come back to Philly.” The Phillies, even with Roy Halladay scuffling, apparently aren’t interested in Oswalt, who pitched for them in 2010-11. … Ole Miss product Lance Lynn was in fine form for St. Louis on Tuesday. The big (though not as big as last year) right-hander retired the first 10 Cincinnati batters he faced — former Rebels teammate Zack Cozart ended the streak with a single — and wound up fanning 10 in six innings in a 5-1 win. “He’s good. He comes right at you,” Cozart told mlb.com. … Note, also, that former Mississippi State standout Paul Maholm is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA for red-hot Atlanta. … Remember Matt Maloney? A 2005 third-round pick by the Phillies, the ex-Ole Miss left-hander signed with Boston in the off-season. He is still recovering from Tommy John surgery last July.