Lee's stats on Saturday didn't look pretty; still no reason to freak out

Newly acquired Texas Rangers ace Cliff Lee didn't have his typical stat line on Saturday night in his club debut against Baltimore.

Lee gave up six runs, all earned, nine hits and three home runs. Far from what's expected of the all-star.

I'm not really worried.

First, Lee didn't arrive in Arlington until Saturday, the day he pitched. Expecting he and catcher Matt Treanor to be on the exact same page after a few hours of meet-and-greet is a little far-fetched. Yeah, sure, it's Baltimore, which has the worst record in the American League. But that's a rapid turnaround.

Next, Lee still operated in his patented super-efficient pace. He went all nine innings, despite giving up six runs. He only threw 95 pitches. Of those 95 tosses, 73 (76.8 percent) were strikes.

Lee also didn't walk anyone. With two more strikeouts from Saturday, he now has 91 strikeouts and six walks on the season. The lefty has as many complete games as total walks.

That's the difference between a guy like Rich Harden, for instance, and Cliff Lee.

Lee gave up more runs than he had all season and still made it through all nine innings. When Harden struggles, he has trouble escaping the fourth inning.

Lee has such precise placement and exceptional command that he'll be able to bounce back easily once he's more familiar with his new teammates.

Once that happens, it'll be a darn fun thing to watch.