Cliff Lee is the talk of the town, and making history.

It seems strange now to think that the Indians really held a competition for the fifth starters job between Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers, and Cliff Lee. Considering the contract dollars committed to Lee, there was little doubt he would get first crack. Now Lee is the toast of the town, in the midst of a historic run of pitching excellence not seen in 50 years of baseball statistical history.  In an article over at Baseball Prospectus, Lany Jazayerli writes that if you ignore Lee’s first start, and look at just his last three games, Lee has gone at least 8 innings, giving up no more than 3 hits per game, walked one or none, and struck out 8 or more in each.  No other pitcher has ever done that. If you remove the strikeout total required, Woodie Fryman and Sandy Koufax come closest to that kind of dominance. Fausto Carmona has righted his ship, getting past some early control issues, and Jake Westbrook was pitching well before he was derailed by injury. If C.C Sabathia finally figures out his issues and Westbrook comes back strong, then the Indians will again have the top pitching staff in the AL Central. The BP article points out that Lee hasn’t exactly pitched against tough teams, citing the team’s EqA stats as ranked low.  It is true that the Twins and Royals are the two lowest scoring teams in the AL; however, the A’s, whom Lee has beaten twice, are ranked fifth in the AL in runs scored, and they scored one run on Lee in each start. For his next start, Lee will face the Mariners, whose offense ranks seventh in runs scored. I’m bettin’ that Lee is for real, and that we’re seeing something special with Lee. If he is miraculously available in your league, this could be your last chance to get him.

On Friday, the Seattle Mariners announced the signing of Kenji Johjima to a three-year contract extension. Johjima continues to do a great job for the Mariners, both offensively and defensively, though there have been some questions about his ability to call a game and the slight language barrier makes it difficult for him to communicate with some members of the staff. The Mariners have one of the highest rated prospects in the minors in Jeff Clement, currently tearing the cover off the ball in Triple A, who is blocked by the presence of Johjima. It will be interesting to see if they offer Clement in trade to someone, now that Johjima is in the fold for three more years.  Perhaps Bill Bavasi will move Clement to acquire the missing piece for a playoff run at the deadline. Right now, Clement is batting .375 with 5 home runs and 16 RBI in 19 games. He walks more than he strikes out and has a .500 on-base percentage. The Red Sox would love to find a replacement for Jason Varitek.

They played a wild one out in Los Angeles last night with the Rockies and Dodgers going 13 innings before the Dodgers managed to eke out a win. Russell Martin had a hell of a game, going 4 for 4 with 2 RBI and a run scored. He also spent some time playing at third base, giving those of you in leagues that allow eligibility after one game at a position a little more flexibility. Although, I can’t see Martin being more valuable than he is at catcher.

Those of you who took a chance on Randy Johnson returning and being effective, were rewarded with a six inning effort in which he allowed one run on three hits, and struck out seven with only two walks. If the Big Unit is going to be that good all season, the Diamondbacks are going to be the team to beat in the National League because of their pitching rotation. As of today, the Snakes have a league leading team ERA of 3.00, and the offense is ranked first in the NL in runs per game at 6.04. If they keep this up, they are going to run away with the NL pennant.

Speaking of RJ, the Red Sox brought up their own 6’6” lefty, Justin Masterson, for a spot start because their clubhouse (and pitching staff) has been ravaged by the flu. Masterson is often compared to the Big Unit because of his stature, and in Thursday’s big league debut, he looked a lot like Johnson too. He threw six strong innings, allowing just one run (on a home run by Mike Napoli) and three hits. Masterson struck out four and the only down note was four walks. However, he opened some eyes in Boston, and made a strong case for a return trip soon. Keep an eye out for Masterson’s return, as he is going to be a very good pitcher some day. Keeper league players should be all over him already.

David Murphy of the Rangers continues to hit the ball well.  He went 3 for 5 in yesterday’s game against the Twins, and his batting average stands at .295. Murphy gives you a little bit of everything in fantasy; so far he has stolen three bases, has 12 runs scored, and 8 RBI. Only one home run so far, but 11 doubles, which are a sign that home runs will come eventually – probably during the heat of the Texas summer.  If you need an outfielder in AL only leagues, Murphy is a smart speculative pick. Stash him away if you can, he will pay off down the line.

Mike Cuddyer came back for the Twins last night. If you own him, keep him benched until he shows signs of getting his timing back. He had a very short rehab stint and looked stiff at the plate last night.

With the exception of a couple of starts in Detroit last season, Jair Jurrjens had never pitched above Double A ball before this season. Now he’s starting for the Braves, and doing a good job of it. However, I’m a bit concerned about how far Bobby Cox is pushing his young rookie. In his last three outings, including last night, Jurrjens has thrown 101, 114, and 107 pitches, and only gone as far as 7 innings once. That kind of inefficiency in a young pitcher can lead to arm troubles later in the season. As good as he’s been, I can’t see him lasting all season throwing that many pitches all the time. Consider Jurrjens a sell-high candidate, and move him if you get the chance.

Jamie Carroll is getting more playing time for Cleveland with Asdrubal Cabrera struggling. Carroll stole a couple of bases against the Yankees last night, and is a good source for steals in AL only formats. He should be good for 15 or so over the course of the season.

Good to see Franklin Gutierrez hit a home run last night, and has his average up to .227. I still stand by my choice of Gutierrez as a break out candidate and sleeper pick this year. You’ve got to give him at least 100 at-bats before writing him off, so if you grabbed him, hang in there.

OK, folks. I gotta go. Shake it easy!