Operation: Shutdown
Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay certainly aren't making life easy for Terry Francona.
The Red Sox manager must decide in the coming days who will start for his American League side in Tuesday night's All-Star game.
What a delightful dilemma to have, though.
Lee (12-2) allowed five hits and struck out seven over six innings, helping Cleveland to a 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night that also tied the Indians right-hander with Joe Saunders of the Los Angeles Angels for the league lead in wins.
Lee improved to 5-0 with a 1.62 ERA in seven home starts. It was the sixth time in 18 starts he didn't allow an earned run.
"I'm just happy to be going," Lee said of being selected to the AL squad for the first time. "If they choose me to start, I'd be ecstatic and honored."
Halladay is making sure there's no clear-cut choice.
He won his third straight start while throwing his major league-leading seventh complete game in the Toronto Blue Jays' 5-0 win over the New York Yankees.
Count Derek Jeter, the AL's starting shortstop, among those who think Halladay is deserving of the ball at Yankee Stadium.
"He's probably the best starter in baseball, I would think," Jeter said. "I know I'm a little biased because we face him 10 times a year. He's as consistent as anyone."
In other AL games, it was Baltimore 7, Boston 3; Minnesota 3, Detroit 2; Kansas City 3, Seattle 1; Texas 7, Chicago White Sox 2; and Oakland 9, Los Angeles Angels 2.
Francona has plenty of strong candidates to star the All-Star game, but the front-runner could well be Lee, who lowered his ERA to 2.31 as the Indians beat the Rays in Cleveland for the 11th consecutive time.
At Boston, Brian Roberts was a home run short of the cycle as Baltimore beat Clay Buchholz (2-4) in his first start against them since his no-hitter last season.Brian Burres (7-5) allowed three runs and six hits, leaving with a 4-3 lead with one out in the seventh. George Sherrill escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth for his 28th save.
At Detroit, Nick Punto drove in two runs and Minnesota's bullpen shut down Detroit.Glen Perkins (6-2) left after giving up Detroit's second run in the seventh. Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier and Joe Nathan retired the next seven batters, with Nathan earning his 26th save.
At Kansas City, Mo., Luke Hochevar (6-7) allowed one run and five hits over seven innings and David DeJesus doubled in two runs for Kansas City.Joakim Soria pitched a perfect ninth for his 25th save.
At Arlington, Texas, Josh Hamilton drove in two runs and Luis Mendoza (2-3) struck out eight over six innings to win for the first time in six starts.Gavin Floyd (10-5) lasted 2 2-3 innings in his shortest outing of the season for the White Sox. Floyd, who was 6-1 in his previous eight starts, walked a career-high seven.
At Oakland, Calif., Sean Gallagher allowed two hits over seven innings in his Oakland debut and fellow newcomer Mike Murton drove in two runs.Both players were acquired by Oakland earlier in the week as part of a six-player trade that sent pitchers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin to the Chicago Cubs.
