Cliff Lee is the Beast Master

_{Cliff Lee is living on a planet by himself right now, as he has no equal. (AP Photo)}

Calling Cliff Lee a Beast would be an insult. He's more akin to a Beast Master right now, and he's making professional ballplayers across the league look like a bunch of lost little leaguers who are still learning the game. Lee baffled the Red Sox all night long, mixing his pitches to perfection, while giving up only two hits for his third consecutive shutout. On the other side of the mound Beckett looked rusty after his long layoff, and didn't live up to the billing of this pitchers duel.

The Sox are on a skid now, they've lost six of their last ten games, and are now looking towards - gulp - John Lackey to be their stopper tonight, which means in order to win, they'll have to score a lot of runs. The Yankees are 1.5 games ahead of the Sox in the AL East, which also means Phase 3 has officially been haulted.

Two observation from last nights game:

1. Thank God almighty Lee didn't sign with the Yankees. Once  again, a big THANK YOU to those Yankee fans who harrassed his wife last year.
2. The Red Sox lineup is severely hurting with Crawford on the DL and J.D. Drew deciding to retire. I'd honeslty rather see Papi in LF than Darnell McDonald batting fifth (half kidding here), his OBP is below the Mendoza Line for Christs sake, I mean, there's a reason he spent 10 years in the Minor's and was only given a chance to start during the Zombie infection of 2010.

I could go on and on, but something needs to give, Nick Cafardo wrote on this today, and I agree that a real solution in RF is needed - it's a weak link, which is doubley exposed when Papi has to sit when playing in NL ballparks.

I have a lot to say on J.D. Drew too, but that needs to wait for a post of its own...

Comments

[Flex]

He's beatable. Batting beat themselves when facing him. Perfect example was the 2009 world series. He dominated the Yankees game 1 and the next time we faced him we beat him. And he was pitching in a similar fashion back then. You have to find a happy balance of patience and shredding with him. Teams do one of either but hardly both. You guys were attacking him early and it wasn't working.
Anyway regardless. He's amazing. And you're def lucky he didn't sign with the Yankees but it had nothing to do with what NY fans were supposedly doing(as if sox fans don't do even worse shit) he signed with Philli because he liked playing there and doesn't like NY in general.
Anyway I find myself wondering why the Yankees
Seem to want to lose every single game vs the sox and they go on a tear afterwards but I'll take it. It's alot easier playin NL teams with papi eye drops in there ad the DH huh?
Oh and how much does that league restructuring NOT work? The NL despises the DL posish and no way they'd go for that. It certainly does change the game.