Cliff Lee was brilliant again last night as rumors continue to swirl about his time in Seattle winding down, holding the Cubs to one run in a complete-game victory that lowered his ERA to a league-best 2.39.
Lee missed most of April, yet leads the league with four complete games (including two shutouts) and has an absolutely ridiculous 76/4 K/BB ratio in 87 innings. To put that into some context Bret Saberhagen holds the all-time record with 11.0 strikeouts per walk in 1994 and no other pitcher in baseball history who qualified for the ERA title ever had 10 strikeouts per walk.
Right now Lee has 19.0 strikeouts per walk.
Obviously the Mariners didn’t plan on being 30-41 and all but out of the playoff picture in June, but the good news is that Lee has maintained his full trade value and then some. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports that the Mets and Twins are the front-runners for Lee at this point, speculating that Minnesota has the potential edge in the form of Wilson Ramos because Seattle wants a good catching prospect.
Baker notes that Ramos “could make a centerpiece to a deal along with a mid-to-back-end starting pitcher” that would presumably be Scott Baker or Kevin Slowey. He also wonders if the Mets could trump that by offering Jenrry Mejia and Angel Pagan. Of course, a report out of New York yesterday said the Mets were unlikely to deal Mejia.
Alvarez’s bases-clearing double sends Astros past White Sox
Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
HOUSTON – Yordan Alvarez hit a go-ahead three-run double in the seventh inning, and the Houston Astros rallied past the Chicago White Sox 6-3 on Friday night for their first win of the season.
Kyle Tucker hit a two-run homer in the sixth and made a spectacular catch at the wall in the seventh to rob Andrew Benintendi of extra bases and keep the World Series champion Astros within one run.
Eloy Jimenez hit two RBI doubles for the White Sox, both off Astros starter Cristian Javier.
Jimenez’s first double scored Tim Anderson in the first inning. In the sixth, Javier gave up three straight doubles to Benintendi, Jimenez and Joan Moncada to make it 3-0 and end his night.
White Sox reliever Kendall Graveman (0-1) loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh on two walks and a single. Jake Diekman came on and gave up Alvarez’s double to deep left-center, a drive that just eluded Luis Robert Jr. and bounced off the wall, clearing the bases.
Four Astros relievers each worked one scoreless inning. Seth Martinez (1-0) got the win and Rafael Montero handled the ninth for his first save.
Chicago starter Lance Lynn allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings.
ALL IN A DAY’S REST
White Sox INF Andrew Vaughn, who hit a go-ahead two-run double in Thursday’s season-opening win, did not play. Vaughn experienced lower back issues during spring training. Gavin Sheets started at first base.
HOMETOWN HIT
Astros outfielder Corey Yulks, a Houston-area native, singled in his first at-bat and finished 1-for-4 in his major league debut.
PUT A RING ON IT
Astros owner Jim Crane and his wife, Whitney, presented the team and staff with their 2022 World Series rings in a pregame ceremony.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: LHP Blake Taylor, who is on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow strain, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land.
UP NEXT
The four-game season-opening series continues Saturday when Houston’s Jose Urquidy faces Chicago’s Lucas Giolito.