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Fri. Final: Brewers 17, Indians 7GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) -- Cliff Lee arrived at the ballpark feeling sky high, a day after riding in an F-16 fighter jet. The Milwaukee Brewers quickly reminded him he was back on the ground. The Cleveland Indians' ace allowed two runs and three hits over one inning in his first game action since winning the 2008 AL Cy Young Award, a 17-7 loss Friday to the Milwaukee Brewers. Lee made the one-hour flight Thursday from Luke Air Force Base to tape a public-service commercial. It included barrel rolls and loops. "It was a lot of fun," he said. "I didn't throw up. They said 95 percent of the people they take up there do that." Lee got approval from the Indians and said he didn't even check whether there was language in the guarantee provision of his contract prohibiting such daring activity. "There's a crash, the contract wouldn't matter anyway," Lee said. "Then you look at the life insurance policy." Lee was scheduled for two innings or 35 pitches. He threw 31 pitches, and manager Eric Wedge decided that was enough. "Cliff threw a lot of pitches there but was fine," Wedge said. Lee was unfazed by his results -- nowhere near his level of the 2008 season, when he went 22-3 with a 2.53 ERA. "I threw all right," Lee said. "They hit a couple of good pitches, actually. I'm not worried. Camp is longer this year, so there's plenty of time to work on things." Lee hit Prince Fielder in the forearm with a pitch. Three innings later, the Brewers' slugger was hit in the ankle by a pitch from Jeremy Sowers. "No big deal," said Fielder, shrugging off both bumps. "The only thing, I didn't get to see as many pitches as I'd like. In the spring you want to see pitches, look for strikes, and get your timing down." Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner went 0-for-2 in his first game since shoulder surgery in October. "I felt good, but kind of went out there wanting to swing and without a plan," Hafner said. "I was pretty excited." Brewers starter Dave Bush gave up three runs and five hits in three innings. "It's more important to look at the pitches I made than the results," Bush said. "I gave up some soft hits, but felt good. My job is to get ready to work in a 5-man rotation and to make steady progression. When you're fighting for a job, the outlook is different when you give up some hits like that." Minor league outfielder Lorenzo Cain led the Brewers' 18-hit attack with two singles, two walks, three runs and three RBIs. Brad Nelson and Mat Gamel also had three RBIs apiece for Milwaukee. "Cain was impressive leading off, getting into hitting counts and delivering," Brewers manager Ken Macha said. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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