Indians LHP Lee scratched with stiff neck

Sep 28, 2008 - 6:19 PM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- With their season on the line, the Chicago White Sox will not have to face Cleveland Indians ace Cliff Lee on Sunday.

The 22-game winner was scratched from his final start of the season due to a stiff neck and replaced by rookie righthander Bryan Bullington, who is 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA.

Lee, the American League's certain Cy Young Award winner who has a 22-3 record and 2.54 ERA, began feeling discomfort before his last start against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

The White Sox have dropped five straight games and trail the Minnesota Twins by a half-game in the Central Division race. If the teams are still separated by that margin after Sunday's play, the White Sox will play a makeup contest against the Detroit Tigers on Monday.

Mark Buehrle is starting Sunday's game for the White Sox on three days' rest. He threw 121 pitches in his last outing Wednesday in Minnesota.