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Indians pitcher keeps focus on next game: today's doubleheader
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Monday, May 12, 2008
CLEVELAND: Here he comes again: Mr. (Almost) Perfect.
There is an argument to be made that nobody has pitched with more expertise or effectiveness than Cliff Lee in his first six starts of the season.
He will go to the mound again tonight in the second game of a doubleheader against the Blue Jays, hoping to improve on a 6-0 record and an 0.81 earned-run average.
''I'm just focused on my next start,'' Lee said. ''I get a game plan, and I use it to attack the hitters. I have to get past my last start; I can't dwell on it. When you do, that is when things blow up on you.''
Ask Lee why he has been virtually unhittable and he will say, ''I'm commanding my fastball better and staying ahead in the count.''
Sounds too simple, but for a starter whose pitches move with the funkiness associated with being left-handed, those fundamentals can make a huge difference. Also, Lee realizes he is in a rarified zone that probably won't last forever.
''Things are going good right now,'' Lee said. ''If they hit the ball, it's right to people. That happens when you're throwing strikes. Bad things happen when you get behind 2-and-0 or 3-and-
1. That's when they get those broken bat hits.''
Throwing strikes didn't come naturally for Lee as a youngster, nor did he dominate as he has this year.
''I was a lot more wild,'' he said. ''I didn't throw many strikes. I threw pretty hard for my age and either struck guys out, walked them or hit them.
''The talent level in my area [Benton, Ark.] wasn't that good. There were a couple of guys who threw hard, and everybody was afraid of them. But I never had a stretch like this before.''
Lee hasn't employed superstitious habits to keep his run of excellence going. He does throw a shadow pitch while facing second base before he begins each inning, but he's been doing that since before his major-league debut.
''One time in the minors, the catcher didn't come out right away and I did that,'' he said. ''I had a good inning, so I thought, 'Let's do it again.' It also helps me stay back [in my delivery], because when you throw off the back of the mound, it's a lot steeper.''
Lee's superlative start has begun to make him a periodic topic on national television and radio sports shows. He was interviewed for ESPN's Baseball Tonight after his last win, a 3-0 decision over the Yankees last Wednesday.
''Nobody wanted to talk to me last year, when I was pitching like crap,'' he said. ''Now, everybody wants to talk to me. That's just the way it works.''
Rainout
The Indians and Blue Jays waited one hour, 15 minutes before postponing Sunday's game. It will be replayed today with a 4 p.m. traditional doubleheader.
Fans who hold tickets for Sunday's game can exchange for another game, subject to availability. That includes today's doubleheader. Fans who purchased tickets for tonight's regularly scheduled 7 p.m. game will be admitted to both of today's games at no extra charge.
This will be the first traditional doubleheader at Progressive Field — that is, a doubleheader without separate admission for each game — since Aug. 13, 1997, against the Tigers.
The move
Outfielder Jason Tyner was summoned from Buffalo to take the place of Tom Mastny, who was optioned to Triple-A Saturday night.
Why make the switch? With the starters usually pitching seven innings or more, Mastny has gotten sparse work in the bullpen, and Tyner offers the Tribe a little more speed and contact hitting off the bench.
''It wasn't doing Tom any good to pitch once every 10 days,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ''That wasn't making him better.
''Tyner can play all three outfield spots, and he enables us to be more aggressive late in games. With interleague play coming up [next weekend], he also gives us an extra position player.''
Tyner was batting only .234 at Buffalo, but he proved himself in the big leagues last year with the Twins, batting .286 with 14 doubles, 42 runs and eight steals (in 11 tries) in 114 games (304 at-bats).
Setting the rotation
Sunday's scheduled starters, Fausto Carmona and A.J. Burnett, will oppose one another in the first game of today's doubleheader. Cliff Lee will face Shaun Marcum in the nightcap.
Farm facts
Jason Stanford gave up two runs and four hits in six innings, but Buffalo lost 3-2 to Rochester. . . . Carlton Smith (1-1, 4.97 ERA) worked seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, as Kinston defeated Potomac 3-1. Adam Davis had three hits. . . . Ryan Morris (5-0, 2.45 ERA) pitched five shutout innings, giving up three hits and four walks in Lake County's 9-0 win over Greensboro. Matthew Brown, Ron Rivas and Roman Pena each had three hits, and Michael Valadez drove in three runs with two singles.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: Here he comes again: Mr. (Almost) Perfect.
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