Friday, July 27, 2007

Please Lee - ve!!!

No doubt about it.

Cliff Lee has got to be dropped from the rotation.

We went through all the numbers during one of his recent disasters. Just add seven more runs (twice) to those totals.

He had the deer-in-the-headlights look in the fourth and fifth innings last night. No real clue what was happening to him and what he should do about it. He is a wreck.

His sarcastic cap-doffing to the booing throng at the Jake as he ran off the field last night is not going to help his plight any. It will just add to the pressure the next time he takes the mound.

Lee’s performance has been on the decline for the last season and a half.

He can be sent to Buffalo. Maybe that would help. He would be more useful to the Tribe this year though as trade bait. I’m not sure he would bring big returns by himself any longer, though he is a lefty and has a team-friendly (for these times) contract. Someone might think they hold the key to turning him around. I say we give them a chance to try.

Judging by Jason Stanford’s recent performance, especially last night, we don’t have Lee’s replacement on the current big-league staff.

Aaron Laffey added another solid outing (6 IP, 2 runs, 3 hits) to his season totals yesterday in Buffalo. And Jeremy Sowers has had two strong outings in a row (14 IP 1 run) after an abysmal first few weeks back in Buffalo.

If the Tribe doesn’t land a veteran starter at the trading deadline, it’s time to give Laffey or Sowers Lee’s spot in the rotation.

1 comment:

moose said...

both moves are a move in the right direction - lofton can add some leadership and if they put him in the two hole that might help brady and others - I say put him out there everyday and let guttierez play right - francisco is odd man odd - I would give micheals and nixon a token game - there may be another veteran pitcher coming from somewhere - mujhca wont be here long - lee is a mystery for a guy that one 18 games a few years OK - tough to figure out what went wrong and will he get it back

westbrook are you watching ???

thank goodness the tigers keep losing and the yankees lost but will probably win 2 tonight against baltimore