So what's wrong with Cliff Lee?

Ask any Rangers fan. They will give you their opinion (or lack thereof) as to why Cliff Lee has been struggling so mightily over the past few starts. The opinions will be mixed, with some stating believable facts and some stating "big-city" idiocy. The variety of the opinions can leave one puzzled. Why is Cliff Lee struggling? Why did he give up seven runs to a horrible offense like the Royals?

To figure out such a problem, one must become a master sleuth and break down every motive and reason why Lee has been struggling. There are indeed a plethora of possibilities for his struggles, but can it be figured out so easily?

We shall see, so let's break it down.

1.) CLIFF LEE IS "MAILING IT IN."

This is the wunderkind Colin Cowherd's theory. Cowherd believes that Lee is showing his material and abilities for the "big market teams" like the New York Yankees. But a problem with that theory, Colin: HE HAS TO BE DOING WELL TO SHOW OFF HIS SKILLS!

If he was actually doing good, this theory may be plausible, but there's just no way.

Verdict: Doubtful

2.) CLIFF LEE IS TIRED

When Cliff Lee joined the organization back in July, Ron Washington clearly stated that Lee will be starting every fifth day. Lee has been doing just that, starting games at a constant pace. Now, it's common knowledge that pitchers do get tired throughout the year. All players get tired, that's just baseball. When I look at Cliff Lee, I look at a pitcher full of pride and inner strength. No pitcher like him is going to answer to reporters that he is "tired." He's a Cy Young winner for pete's sake! Lee will never say he is tired. But as you look at the past few games, he is throwing more pitches in a shorter amount of innings. He's getting into more stressful situations as a pitcher. Could it be mental stress that's causing Lee to falter over the past few starts? Unfortunately, I can't enter his mind to find out.

Verdict on physically tired: Plausible

Verdict on mentally tired: Possible

3.) CLIFF LEE IS GETTING NO RUN SUPPORT

Early on, this was an actual fact. However, over the past few games, Lee has been getting more than enough to win. He is just not executing as a pitcher to get the quality outs. This leads me to my fourth and final point...

4.) CLIFF LEE IS JUST NOT PITCHING WELL

I think this may be the most clear and concise point made. Lee is throwing his fastballs right down the middle, and hitters are taking advantage. All pitchers have days where they just can't locate their pitches. Anyone who watches Lee will notice he does locate a quality amount of his pitches. There just seems to be one fastball that stays in the middle of the plate, and hitters take advantage. Simple as that.

So what do Rangers fans do? A person can't abscond from the Lee bandwagon just because he's had a bad few games. So what do we do?

Ride it out Ranger faithful, Lee has gone through this before. He can right the ship, just in time for the playoffs.


All opinions are solely those of Dustin McWilliams. McWilliams is a sports writer at the Durant Daily Democrat. If you have any questions or feedback, please message McWilliams at dmcwilliams82@gmail.com