Treading A Similar Path

With hopes for another great postseason run seemingly out of reach for the Cleveland Indians, watching Cliff Lee chase after the same honor former Tribe hurler C.C. (does he abbreviate his name anymore?) Sabathia earned last season is one of the few things that will keep our interest in Indians baseball this season.

Last season, it looked like Sabathia might be out of Cy Young consideration after losing four games in July with an ERA over five, but as well all saw down the stretch, Sabathia fell into a groove, finishing 6-1 in August and September, holding opposing batters to a .234 mark at the dish. The team finished with 96 wins, tying the Red Sox for the most wins in baseball, and Sabathia edged out Boston's Josh Beckett for the American League Cy Young. Fortunately for Sabathia, they didn't take postseason statistics into consideration.

Despite his team underachieving this season, Cliff Lee has been as steady as they come on the rubber, and the final two months of this season have to mean a lot to him, if not the rest of the team.

Lee's 13 wins are the most in the American League and his 2.29 ERA is second to only Justin Duchscherer. He was the clear-cut choice as the starter for the American League in the All-Star Game, and all he did was throw two scoreless innings against the National League's best. Barring a complete meltdown or injury in these next two months, Lee could earn some hardware at the end of the year. Who's his competition? Well, there may be at least one guy.

The last relief pitcher to win the Cy Young was Eric Gagne in 2003 when the bearded Canadian finished the season with 55 saves and a minuscule 1.20 ERA. Los Angeles' Francisco Rodriguez looks like he could top Gagne's 03' mark this season, and possibly Bobby Thigpen's mark of 58 - the most in MLB history. K-Rod has already notched 40 saves this season, and his team has a MLB best 60 wins as of now, so it looks like he'll get his chances and he'll definitely give Lee, as well as Thigpen's record, a run for their money.

Sabathia saw a lot of his toughest starts come in July last season, hence, his 1-4 mark in the month, but for Lee, his toughest starts could come in the final two months of the season when the team plays seven road games against the White Sox and Red Sox, while they have a ton of games against Detroit and a road series against the Rays. He's already proven he can pitch well against good hitting teams like New York, Detroit, Tampa Bay, and Texas, but he has yet to go against the Red Sox. He won't pitch against the Angels during the team's current three-game road trip, so his next start will against Minnesota. He went the distance in Sunday's start, a 6-2 win over Seattle, but allowed 11 hits against the Mariner offense. Probably nothing to be worried about, but still a bit uncharacteristic for the lefty.

There might not be much left to look forward to until the Browns kickoff, but don't tell that to Cliff Lee. If anything, just watch the Indians every five games.