http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/notebook?page=bbtn By Orel Hershiser, ESPN Cliff Lee is trying to get the magic he showed last season back this year. So far, he hasn't been the same pitcher he was last year, when he went 22-3 and won the AL Cy Young. This year, as he enters Monday's start against the Red Sox, he is 1-3 with a 5.25 ERA. He is looking for that old form, and in my opinion it won't be too long before he finds it. Baseball is a game of inches, even more so for pitchers. Normally when you think about inches making a difference in a baseball game, you are thinking about a ball falling a few inches fair or foul or a ball just sneaking over a fielder's glove. But a few inches can be all the difference for a pitcher. Three inches too high, too low, inside or outside can be huge. Not only does a slight difference in the location of a pitch matter so much, but a difference of an inch or two on the movement can be the difference between an average pitcher and an elite pitcher. I think most fans would be surprised by how little separates the ability and performance of average and great big leaguers. Every big leaguer is an elite athlete to begin with, so the distinctions become a lot finer at baseball's highest level. Last year, Lee turned in a magical season mostly by making relatively small strides in his pitching. Because that difference can be so slight, it's also easy to slip back to just being average rather than dominant. This year he already has as many losses (three) as he did all of last season. In reality, though, replicating last year was going to be nearly impossible. So I don't think Lee is lost for the year. Yes, he had a couple of horrible outings this season, but his most recent two games he seems to be getting back on track. His last game he went eight innings and gave up nine hits, but only allowed two runs against the Royals in a 2-0 loss The game before that, he went six innings, allowed one run and got the win. The main difference between his 2007 season, when he spent time on the disabled list and pitched at Triple-A, and his Cy Young season in 2008 were his fastball location and his self-confidence. He had the belief in 2008 that he would not only compete at the big league level, but also dominate. He came right into spring training, hit the ground running with some strong outings early on and never looked back. Now he's coming off a season in which he was on a serious roll and he's slightly off this year, but it's not like he doesn't know how to do it now. He has resources to draw on. That gives me a lot of confidence that he'll find success again. What I see in the outings so far in which he's had difficulty is a lack of self-confidence and conviction in the pitches he's throwing. Also, I see poor location at times. Those are things he can -- and will -- remedy. And it can happen with one good inning. All of a sudden, things will click. He'll be able to feel the balance, confidence and aggression he's been looking for. When it comes, he'll be elated. He'll start smiling and everything will start to fall into place. It's the "Aha" moment everyone occasionally experiences. Lee just needs his. The good thing for him is that since he's had them before, he'll be able to recognize it when it comes faster than someone who hasn't been to the top of the mountain before. --

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