Cliff Lee (SP), CLE - Activated
May 01, 2007
News: Lee will be returning to the rotation for the Indians this Thursday. He missed the first month with an Abdominal strain.
Views: Cliff Lee is coming off a 14 win season that included 129 k's. Just 2 seasons ago saw him reach 18 wins and 143 k's. mlb.com has reported that Lee will also be sporting a new Slider when he returns. He'll be limited to 90-100 pitches against the Blue Jays (given a Thursday start). Probably a good idea to give him a start or two before considering activating him. Something to consider with Lee, is over the past 3 seasons his K total has lowered as his IP have climbed.
2004 14-8 179 IP 169 K 1.50 WHIP 5.43 ERA
2005 18-5 202 IP 143 K 1.22 WHIP 3.79 ERA
2006 14-11 200 IP 129 K 1.41 WHIP 4.40 ERA
Adding the new pitch may be an attempt to curtail the decline in K's, but you have to wonder how effective he will be still figuring out the new pitch and the impact it will have in his return on his other pitches.
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