St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cleveland Indians - Box Score - June 14, 2009 - ESPN

Cliff lee makes a good run at a no-no.

Lee held the Cards hitless for seven before settling for a complete game three-hitter.

Poor Clifton Phifer Lee (there's a baseball name) pretty much has to throw a shutout to get a win. Remember last year, when Lee almost became the first 20-game winner in history to finish with a .900 win percentage? He blew the .900 with a loss in his last start, a meaningless game he could have sat out to finish 22-2? At any rate, he finished 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA and won the Cy Young. This year his ERA is about the same (2.88), but he has already lost twice as many games (4-6)! He's on pace for 15 losses. At one point he was 1-5, despite a 3.45 ERA. His last four losses were by these scores: 3-1, 3-1, 2-0, 1-0.

One might expect a phenomenon like that if Lee pitched for a team with an anemic offense, like the Giants or the Royals, but the Indians were 4th in the majors in runs scored coming into tonight's games, and were the top run producers not in the AL East. As of yesterday, they had scored more than the free-slugging Phillies! In general, their problem has been pitching. They have the majors' worst ERA for any team not in the Washington-Baltimore area. But when they do get good pitching from ol' Clifton, they just seem to rest their bats on those days.