Cliff Lee: Has He Pitched Himself onto the NL All-Star Team?

Cliff Lee, the Phillies’ southpaw co-ace is hot—certifiably hot right now.

How hot, you may ask? How about hotter than a summer afternoon in Benton, Arkansas. 

You want specifics?

With last night’s 4-0 complete game shutout of the St. Louis Cardinals, Lee has posted some eye-popping numbers this month. That 4-0 score is appropriate as that reflects Cliff’s win-loss record for June. He has given up only one earned run in 33 innings (good for a microscopic ERA of 0.27), while winning all four starts, including back-to-back shutouts.

Not too shabby, and certainly most welcomed by the popular pitcher and all of his fans. You may recall that after his sub-par May 31 outing in Washington (a 10-2 loss), Lee stood with a mediocre 4-5 record and a 3.94 ERA. His ERA was affected by two bad starts out of 12, and he was not receiving any run support, but even so. The numbers just did not look right for a pitcher of his caliber.

The numbers look a whole lot more favorable now. The following are Lee’s ranks among all National League starting pitchers.

• Wins: eight, tied for fifth
• ERA: 2.87, seventh
• Complete Games: three, second
• Strikeouts: 114, third
• WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched): 1.12, 12th

Lee is also second in innings pitched (113), first in shutouts (3), and first in the hearts of Phillies’ fans.

But is he an All-Star?

If skipper Charlie Manuel had a vote, he’d offer it to Lee.  Per a story by Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Manuel said, “He’s definitely good enough to be on the All-Star team.”

Manuel may be consulted, but the honor and task of managing the NL All-Star team on July 12 will belong to San Francisco Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy.

Bochy will have tough decisions to make, including settling on the seven (or so) best starting pitchers to put on his squad.

Expect Lee and others being considered to make three, and in some cases four, more starts before the NL roster is nailed down, and Bochy will have the following (and more) to think about:

Can he take three starters from the same Phillies’ staff? Roy Halladay and Hamels are having even better years so far and appear to be locks.

Does he need to pick a lesser starter from a team, just to get them represented? All 16 NL teams must have at least one representative apiece. Will Bochy need to take Pittsburgh Pirates starter Kevin Correia?

Who does Bochy choose from his own staff? Pitching won Bochy and his Giants a world championship last year.  Does he take a Giant starter (neither Tim Lincecum nor Matt Cain have been as good as Lee thus far), just to appease his clubhouse and his fans?

Another consideration is the amount of rest that any starter would take into the All-Star Game, or break, depending upon the decision.

If Lee stays red-hot and wins all of his next three starts, it would seem impossible for Bochy not to select him. Conversely, if he loses two or more, it may be hard for him to keep a spot, which he seems to have earned so far as one of the five or so best starters in the NL this year.

Given Cliff Lee’s rep as one of the very best big game starters on the planet, one would think that Bochy would want to give him an inning or two. Ironically, a well-pitched inning or two on July 12 could end up helping Bochy’s Giants (or Lee’s Phillies, of course) secure home field advantage in the World Series.

 

Gold Notes

It will also be interesting to see which other Phillies will make the Midsummer Classic. Placido Polanco appears to be well on his way to receiving the starting vote at third base. Chase Utley, despite missing more than 40 games, is within striking range at second.

Albert Pujols’ injury (he’s not expected to return to the Cardinals lineup by July 12) may open up a spot for Ryan Howard, although Joey Votto and Prince Fielder are more likely to make the team. The Big Man stands second in the league in RBI, but may not even be the third choice at a deep position, if Bochy and company tab Gaby Sanchez of the Marlins.

Ryan Madson should get a long, deserved look as a closer, and expect Halladay and Hamels to be selected, with one of them (depending upon his throwing schedule) starting.

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