ESPN

The Philadelphia Phillies still don't understand why Cliff Lee is winless in 2012.

The surging New York Mets are more concerned with capitalizing on those struggles.

Lee attempts to end the worst stretch of his career and help the Phillies avoid a season-high seventh straight loss Wednesday against the Mets.

The Phillies (36-46) are at the bottom of the NL East after winning it five years in a row, and Lee (0-5, 4.13 ERA) is also in unfamiliar territory after accumulating 17 wins last year.

The 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner has come up empty in 13 starts in 2012, and he's been roughed up in his last four, going 0-2 with a 7.30 ERA.

The left-hander failed to get out of the fifth inning Friday at Miami, exiting with two outs after being tagged for a season-high six runs and 10 hits in a 6-2 loss.

"Physically, I feel fine," Lee told the team's official website. "It's more frustrating when I don't pitch well, obviously. As far as the wins and losses, that's out of my control. I could do something about not getting through the fifth inning and not giving up (six) runs. That falls solely on me. I can do better than that, no doubt."

Manager Charlie Manuel doesn't have answers, either.

"I don't know," Manuel said. "I've said that before. When I watch him, I think his stuff is good. It's kind of hard to really figure out.

"When I talk to him, he seems fine. I usually talk to him every day. He handles it OK. But I'm sure he's concerned, and why shouldn't he be? I'm sure he's upset. Why shouldn't he be? When I look at him sometimes, I hope he is in some ways. I don't want him to be uptight and put a lot of pressure on himself, but I think he's more of a professional than that."

Lee will now try to end his skid against the Mets (44-37). He's 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in three meetings this year.

New York is hitting .305 with eight homers and 48 runs in its last six games, improving to 5-1 in that stretch with Tuesday's 11-1 victory.

"It just seems like with each win we gain confidence," said third baseman David Wright, who homered and drove in four runs.

Daniel Murphy may play a part in continuing Philadelphia's woes after coming a homer short of the cycle while going 4 for 5 with four RBIs Tuesday.

"I finally had a chance to hit in front of David," said Murphy, who has a .330 average while batting second in the lineup.

The second baseman is hitting .426 in 20 career home meetings with the Phillies, and he's 4 for 11 with three doubles versus Lee.

The Mets are scheduled to turn to Chris Young (2-1, 3.30), who is trying to win back-to-back starts for the first time since May 2009 with San Diego.

The right-hander was solid in Thursday's 3-2 win at Los Angeles, yielding two runs with six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. He's reached the seventh in each of his last three outings as he continues to show improvement in his return from shoulder surgery.

Young led the Mets to wins in both of his starts against the Phillies last year, allowing one run and seven hits with 14 strikeouts and seven walks in 12 1/3 innings. He last faced them on May 1, 2011, his final start before undergoing surgery.