Tom Szczerbowski/US Presswire

Cliff Lee went 22-3 a season ago. He is just 1-3 at the start of this year.

ANSWER NOT FAR OFF FOR LEE

By Orel Hershiser, ESPN

Cliff Lee is trying to get the magic he showed last season back this year. So far, he hasn't been the same pitcher he was last year, when he went 22-3 and won the AL Cy Young. This year, as he enters Monday's start against the Red Sox, he is 1-3 with a 5.25 ERA. He is looking for that old form, and in my opinion it won't be too long before he finds it.

Baseball is a game of inches, even more so for pitchers. Normally when you think about inches making a difference in a baseball game, you are thinking about a ball falling a few inches fair or foul or a ball just sneaking over a fielder's glove. But a few inches can be all the difference for a pitcher. Three inches too high, too low, inside or outside can be huge. Not only does a slight difference in the location of a pitch matter so much, but a difference of an inch or two on the movement can be the difference between an average pitcher and an elite pitcher. I think most fans would be surprised by how little separates the ability and performance of average and great big leaguers. Every big leaguer is an elite athlete to begin with, so the distinctions become a lot finer at baseball's highest level.

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Last year, Lee turned in a magical season mostly by making relatively small strides in his pitching. Because that difference can be so slight, it's also easy to slip back to just being average rather than dominant. This year he already has as many losses (three) as he did all of last season. In reality, though, replicating last year was going to be nearly impossible.

So I don't think Lee is lost for the year. Yes, he had a couple of horrible outings this season, but his most recent two games he seems to be getting back on track. His last game he went eight innings and gave up nine hits, but only allowed two runs against the Royals in a 2-0 loss The game before that, he went six innings, allowed one run and got the win.

The main difference between his 2007 season, when he spent time on the disabled list and pitched at Triple-A, and his Cy Young season in 2008 were his fastball location and his self-confidence. He had the belief in 2008 that he would not only compete at the big league level, but also dominate. He came right into spring training, hit the ground running with some strong outings early on and never looked back. Now he's coming off a season in which he was on a serious roll and he's slightly off this year, but it's not like he doesn't know how to do it now. He has resources to draw on. That gives me a lot of confidence that he'll find success again.

What I see in the outings so far in which he's had difficulty is a lack of self-confidence and conviction in the pitches he's throwing. Also, I see poor location at times. Those are things he can -- and will -- remedy. And it can happen with one good inning. All of a sudden, things will click. He'll be able to feel the balance, confidence and aggression he's been looking for. When it comes, he'll be elated. He'll start smiling and everything will start to fall into place. It's the "Aha" moment everyone occasionally experiences. Lee just needs his. The good thing for him is that since he's had them before, he'll be able to recognize it when it comes faster than someone who hasn't been to the top of the mountain before.

Past Baseball Tonight Clubhouses: April 23 | April 22 | April 21 | April 20 | April 19

WEB GEMS SCOREBOARD

This season, "Baseball Tonight" will be tracking Web Gems. We'll publish a leaderboard on the Baseball Tonight Clubhouse page each Monday. In addition to listing the leaders in appearances (both players and teams) on "Baseball Tonight," we'll offer up the leaders in Web Gem Points.

Web Gem Points will be calculated by awarding five points for the night's top defensive play, four points for second, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth. Scoring will be based on the Web Gems from the last "Baseball Tonight" show to air on a given night.

Web Gem Points leaderboard
Brandon Inge	18
David Wright	15
Jermaine Dye	9
David Murphy	8
Orlando Cabrera	8
Michael Bourn	8

Web Gem appearances leaderboard (players -- 2009)
Brandon Inge	Detroit	Third base	6
David Wright	New York Mets	Third base	3
Carlos Pena	Tampa Bay	First base	2
Matt Kemp	Los Angeles Dodgers	Center field	3
10 players tied			2

Web Gem appearances leaderboard (teams -- 2009)
Tampa Bay	9
New York Mets	7
Detroit	6
Boston	6
Chicago White Sox	6

ON DECK: MONDAY'S BEST MATCHUPS

Marlins at Mets

The Marlins, after a blazing start to the season, have lost six in a row. Mets starter John Maine (0-2, 7.47 ERA) has given up 16 hits, 13 runs and nine walks in 15 2/3 innings this season.

Dodgers at Giants

Can Barry Zito string together two strong outings in a row? He is coming off seven shutout innings in a 1-0 win against the Padres. The Dodgers trail only the Cardinals in runs scored in the NL.

Yankees at Tigers

The Yankees and Tigers need Monday's starters to get on track if they planning on being relevant all season. The Tigers' Justin Verlander has given up six or more runs in three of his four starts this season. CC Sabathia has had two good starts and two bad starts so far with the Yankees.

For the rest of Monday's schedule, click here.