--RHP Joe Borowski, who blew two of his first four save opportunities, is expected to miss from two to four weeks after he was placed on the disabled list with a strained right triceps.
"I tried to pitch through it, but it just wasn't responding the way we wanted," said Borowski. "We'll give it some rest, back down, and hopefully build up some strength." Manager Eric Wedge said Borowski first suffered the injury in spring training.
"He came to spring training throwing the ball as good as we've ever seen, but then it clipped him," said Wedge. "We never thought it was serious, but he was just never able to get all the way back."
In five appearances before going on the disabled list, Borowski was 0-2 with an 18.00 ERA.
Wedge said the game plan is to shutdown Borowski for several days before he begins his rehab.
"We're going to give it two to four weeks, although that's subject to change depending on how Joe feels," said Wedge. "He'll rest his arm initially, and we'll go from there."
This will be Borowski's third trip onto the disabled list. He missed three months of the 2004 season with a shoulder strain and two months in 2005 with a fractured bone in his right forearm.
--LHP Cliff Lee, who had such a poor 2007 season that he spent half of it at Class AAA Buffalo, couldn't have gotten off to a better start this year. After three starts Lee was 3-0 with a 0.40 ERA.
In those three starts Lee faced the minimum three batters in 17 of the 22 innings he pitched.
"He's been as consistent as you could ask a starter to be over these three starts," said Indians manager Eric Wedge.
"I honestly don't expect to pitch this way the whole season. I'd be crazy to think that," said Lee, who has pitched 12 consecutive scoreless innings. "But I'm going to ride it out as long as I can and keep trying to execute my pitches."
Wedge said he isn't surprised by Lee's spectacular start.
"We saw him progressing in spring training. He kept getting better," said Wedge.
--LHP C.C. Sabathia's first three starts got progressively worse. In his third start, a 13-2 loss to Detroit, Sabathia gave up nine runs in four innings, throwing 93 pitches and only getting 12 outs.
After three starts Sabathia was 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA, giving up an average of 16 hits and nine walks per nine innings.
"I'm concerned about him," said manager Eric Wedge. "I don't think there's anything physically wrong with him. But he's better than this. He's fighting himself. I know he's frustrated and he's probably putting too much heat on himself."
--RHP Jake Westbrook's 3-0 loss at Minnesota on Saturday (April 19) dropped his career record in the Metrodome to 1-7.
--RHP Rafael Betancourt has still not had a save situation since moving into the closer's role after RHP Joe Borowski was placed on the DL last Tuesday. "It would be nice if we could get into a situation where we could bring him into close a game," said Manager Eric Wedge.
BY THE NUMBERS: 0 -- Number of times in the last 52 years that an Indians pitcher gave up nine runs in consecutive starts, until LHP C.C. Sabathia did it in his second and third starts this year.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I would have booed myself." -- LHP C.C. Sabathia, after he was booed off the field at Progressive Field, when removed from a 13-2 loss to Detroit in which he gave up nine runs for the second consecutive start, dropping his record to 0-3, with a 13.50 ERA.
