What's wrong with C.C.?

Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia did his job in 2007, and did it well. Seemingly too well.

Every fifth day, the large left-hander went out and gave the Indians innings. Big innings. He threw a major-league best 246 of them in the regular season, and then 15 1/3 more in the playoffs. He won the AL Cy Young Award and won 19 games.

There were whispers – discounted by Sabathia himself – that he was out of gas in the playoffs, which certainly seemed to be the case when the Boston Red Sox got the best of him in the American League Championship Series.

And he hasn't rebounded.

Case in point was Wednesday's abysmal start against the Detroit Tigers, when Sabathia, 26, lasted four innings and gave up nine runs and walked four in a 13-2 Cleveland loss.

He seems to be pressing, like a player in a massive contract year. He's now 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA, with a WHIP (walks plus hits divided by innings) of 2.56. His WHIP last year was 1.14, and it was 1.17 in 2006.

Is it overthrowing? Lost confidence? Dead arm? Poor conditioning? Bad luck? Worse yet, is it overwork?

You get the feeling that the salary of at least $20 million that Sabathia was certain command for 2009 is shrinking by the day – and with it the Indians' chances to be an American League favorite.

Sabathia is not the only ace struggling in the early going. Check out this fantasy baseball update, along with the Picks & Pans for April.

Photo: Pitcher C.C. Sabathia #52 of the Cleveland Indians delivers a pitch during the first inning of their Opening Day game against the Chicago White Sox on March 31, 2008 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)