Where would the Indians be without left-hander Cliff Lee? That was a question worth asking Wednesday night after Lee pitched the Indians to an 8-3 win over Seattle.
With the victory, Lee finished the month of April with a 5-0 record. All other Indians pitchers combined are 8-15. Lee had his scoreless innings streak snapped at 27 Wednesday night, but he otherwise produced a carbon copy of what he did in his first four starts. In his five April starts, Lee posted a major league-best 0.96 ERA. He has been the one constant in a month of wildly fluctuating performances by the Indians.
The team's starting pitching was fairly consistent in April, but the bullpen was not. And the offense was basically missing in action, with several hitters wrestling with month-long slumps.
Through it all, though, Lee was a rock of consistency every five days, helping to keep the roof from caving in on the Indians in an otherwise disappointing month.
INDIANS 8, MARINERS 3: Cliff Lee became the first Indians pitcher in 20 years to win his first five starts of the season, even though his consecutive scoreless innings streak was snapped at 27 on Wednesday. Lee pitched six innings to get the win. He is 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA. He is the first Indians pitcher to win his first five starts of the season since Greg Swindell in 1988. Grady Sizemore had a double and home run, and Franklin Gutierrez two hits and three RBI to lead the Indians' offense.
