Cliff Lee faced only two batters over the minimum while pitching a three-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory over Kansas City last night that gave the Cleveland Indians a doubleheader sweep. Lee (4-0) struck out nine and did not issue a walk while shrinking his major league-best ERA to 0.28 as the Royals lost their seventh straight game.
In 31 2/3 innings, Lee has allowed only one run. His nine strikeouts tied his career best. It was his first shutout and fourth career complete game. Kansas City’s Brian Bannister (3-2) faced only one batter over the minimum until the seventh inning when David Dellucci hit a home run. Bannister went 6 2-3 innings, giving up two runs and four hits. (More MLB stories.)