Indians pitcher a Perfect Lee in '08

5/6/2008 2:33 PM

By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) -Every now and again this winter back home in Arkansas, Cliff Lee would turn on his computer and check out baseball's hot-stove league for the latest transactions and rumors.

One player's name was popping up a lot in trade talks - his.

A former 18-game winner for Cleveland, Lee's value had plummeted following a 2007 season in which he got hurt, was demoted to the minors, then was relegated to a relief role when he returned. He even was left off the Indians' postseason roster.

An avid fisherman, Lee was, for lack of a better term, trade bait. The Indians, who obtained him in a 2002 deal with Montreal, had lost confidence in the left-hander.

``They did,'' he said. ``I knew the deal.''

Luckily, the Indians didn't make one.

Lee won a three-way competition for the final starting spot during spring training and takes a 5-0 record and 0.96 ERA into his start Wednesday night against the New York Yankees and Chien-Ming Wang (6-0). The 29-year-old is the first Cleveland pitcher to win his first five starts since 1988.

More impressively, according to Elias Sports Bureau, Lee's .163 on-base percentage allowed is the lowest against a pitcher over his first five starts in 99 years, since Frank Smith of the Chicago White Sox had a .159 on-base percentage in 1909. Lee also had a 27-inning scoreless streak, the longest by a Cleveland pitcher in 26 years.

Rarely one to show emotion, Lee is taking his start in stride. He understands how fleeting success can be in a game where statistics can be as tough to judge as a diving, split-fingered fastball.

``I'm happy with how things have gone,'' Lee said last week before getting in a cardio workout. ``My job is to give the team a chance to win, and I feel like I've done that every time I went out there. We've won - that's the goal. It's still really early. I'm pleased with the way it has gone so far, and, hopefully, I can continue to pitch the way I have.''

The Indians don't expect Lee to stay perfect, but they're thrilled with his turnaround in a season in which their offense has struggled and their bullpen has been a work in progress.

Lee's 2007 season unraveled before it started.

He pulled an abdominal muscle during spring training, went on the disabled list and didn't make his season debut until May. He threw a three-hitter in his second start, but Lee's season was soon be spiraling downward.

After four straight losses dropped him to 3-8 with a 7.40 ERA, Lee was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo, a team he hadn't played for since 2003 and a minor league stop he never thought he'd have to make into a temporary home again.

Lee never questioned the Indians' decision. He knew it was the right one.

``It was kind of a shock when it all happened,'' he said. ``But I didn't have anyone to blame but myself. I flat out didn't get it done, so I could completely understand why it went the way that it went. I wanted to go to Buffalo and get better. I grasped the whole situation. I understood what was going on. I didn't want to be the bitter guy in Buffalo.''

Back in the minors, Lee went back to the basics of pitching: pound the strike zone, locate the fastball, mix in the secondary stuff.

When he came back to Cleveland, Lee was fixed. He also was a reliever for the first time, and there were moments when he felt like an outsider. Lee came back just as the Indians were wrapping up an AL Central title, one he contributed little to.

When October opened and the Indians didn't include Lee on their playoff roster, it was a final, painful slap of reality.

``It was tough, but that's what happens when you don't perform,'' he said. ``The team was trying to win the World Series and they wanted to put the best team out there. That's the way it goes, and that's the way it should go for every player. If you're not getting it done, eventually someone else is going to take your spot. That's the way the game works. It's not like I was mad at anybody or mad about the situation. I put myself in that spot.''

During the offseason, the Indians were approached by several teams about Lee. At the winter meetings, his agent said he thought Lee would be pitching elsewhere in '08.

As with any of his players, Indians general manager Mark Shapiro examined Lee's value by contacting other teams in search of a starter.

``If the value is worth moving the player, then we execute the trade,'' said Shapiro, selected baseball's top executive in 2007. ``If we value more than what's available in the market, then we're not going to make a deal. We valued Cliff too much.''

Lee spent the offseason working harder on his ``core'' body area more than ever before. Two abdominal pulls and two sports hernia surgeries taught him the importance of staying in peak physical condition. He had always worked, he just worked harder.

Lee showed up at spring training determined to put '07 behind him, and he's been even better than the pitcher who won 46 games for the Indians from 2004-06.

``When he's healthy, this is him,'' teammate C.C. Sabathia said. ``This is what we expect out of him. It's been good to see him back and performing the way he can.''

If there was one lesson he learned from last year, Lee believes it's to not assume anything. It's not that he believed he was invincible or that he ever took being a major leaguer for granted. But it didn't take long for him to be reminded that, in baseball, the dividing line between success and failure is thin.

``Going through struggles, you'll definitely find out what you're made of, that's for sure,'' he said. ``Sometimes it can end up being a good thing. If you struggle, it humbles you a little bit and let's you know what you need to work on.''