So what would we be saying, writing and spewing if the Twins had managed to get Cliff Lee from Seattle and he'd put together the 2-5 record and 4.50 ERA that are the results of his 10 starts in Texas? Would it be Bill Smith's fault? Gardenhire and Anderson's doing? Having the wrong catcher? Could we find a way to pin it on Nick Punto or Tim Laudner? Would Lee be held responsible for Lee?
The spewing is likely more muted in Texas because the Rangers lead their division by 8 1/2 games and the true test of his value will be what he does for his team-if-the-moment in October.
Why is Lee struggling? I'll let you rank-order how seriously to take these possibilities.
*Could Thursday's performance be Twins payback for his decision to sit out the final game of his 22-3 season in 2008? That's when a Cleveland victory would have meant a division title for the Twins. Instead, he turned the start over to Bryan Bullington, who combined with Juan Rincon to give up five runs that day and force the Game 163 that Jim Thome, then an infidel, won for the White Sox with his home run.
*Maybe he couldn't get fired up for the Twins because he didn't have Carlos Gomez to challenge. Remember the silliness when Lee took offense at Gomez trying to bunt his way on base a couple of years back. I mean, if you're Go-Go facing Lee, what are your chances?
*Is Lee distracted by his dust-up with ESPN talk show host Colin Cowherd, who said that Lee is bummed about being in Texas and has been "mailing it in"? Cowherd cited a source and Lee took offense. It was an attack best left ignored by Lee. But maybe he got distracted by it. If that's the case, my position on the matter is three words: "Well played, Cowherd."
*Maybe Lee's arm is just tired at a time that Texas can live with -- a time that would have been a disaster for the Twins. I'm still not overly excited about seeing the Twins face him 2 or 3 times in October. But when the choices include CC Sabathia, David Price, Jon Lester and Lee, maybe Lee is the least devilish of the four. (Maybe the question is irrelevant and the real issue is which bullpen you'd rather be facing in late-game, high-pressure situations.)
*Maybe Lee's hurting again. Lee has a history of abdominal strains, including the one that contributed to a horrendous 2007. He missed the first part of this season with a similar injury and maybe -- perhaps more than maybe -- he's not at 100 percent right now.
