Indians LHP Lee could miss final start

Sep 26, 2008 - 2:31 PM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Cleveland Indians ace Cliff Lee may skip his final start of the season this weekend due to a stiff neck.

The favorite to capture the American League Cy Young Award, Lee is 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA this year.

Cleveland manager Eric Wedge did not sound overly concerned about the problem on Thursday, but, with the Indians out of playoff contention, the team has little incentive to send Lee to the mound Sunday against the Chicago White Sox.

"He got treatment on it (on Wednesday)," Wedge said. "We'll see how he feels (on Friday)."

Lee has struggled a bit over his last three outings, going 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA. The lefthander lost his most recent start on Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox, marking his first defeat since July 6.

The White Sox (86-72) certainly wouldn't mind if Lee was held out - the club enters Friday in a dogfight with the Minnesota Twins (87-72) for the American League Central Division crown.