Cliff Lee continues to show why he is an indispensable piece for a contender that feels it is one pitcher away. And that's pretty much all of them.

He is at the absolute top of his game -- and it's a pretty good game to be on top of. Lee threw another gem on Wednesday in Seattle's 8-1 win over the Cubs, their sixth straight win. He now leads the American League with his 2.39 ERA.

Scouts who were watching this game saw so many things that will lead to glowing reports:

--Stuff. Sure, Lee gave up nine hits, including a Tyler Colvin solo home run, but as he pointed out, that's a byproduct of hitters knowing he is going to be around the plate all night long. He also struck out nine, using a nasty curve as well as his regular repertoire of fastballs, cutters and changeups.

--Control. Lee didn't walk any. Yawn. He rarely does. That's four straight games, and 37 straight innings, without a walk. His strikeouts-to-walks ratio is 76 to 4. That's sick. He had 19 counts of 0-2 in this game. Tht's outrageous.

--Tenacity. Lee wasn't going to be denied his fourth complete game. He leads the American League, despite missing the first month of the season. He's worked at least eight innings in seven games, also tops in the league. The Cubs got the leadoff man on in five innings, and the first two men on in two innings (including two straight doubles to lead off the seventh). No matter. Lee worked out of all those jams. He got three double-play balls. As Don Wakamatsu said, "What's special to me is you watch him when he gets in trouble a little. He just does not give in.''

--Health. Lee is showing definitively that the abdominal strain that sidelined him in April is a non-factor. He threw 115 pitches and looked just as strong in the ninth as in the first.

I don't know if this is part of Jack Zduriencik's strategy, but I've got to think that simply showcasing Lee every five days is as good a way as any to build a feeding frenzy among prospective trade partners. Sure, there's always a risk that he could get hurt at any time -- that's a risk with any pitcher -- but Lee is so good right now that watching him pitch is sure to whet the appetite of teams that covet him. Throw in his proven stature as a postseason beast (4-0, 1.56 ERA in five postseason starts last year), and Lee is the rock-solid, no-questions-asked, No. 1 trade target in baseball as the July 31 deadline draws ever closer.

And that puts the Mariners in a strong, but delicate position. We can keep debating the opportune moment for the M's to strike, but there's no question whatsoever that Lee is adding to his value with every appearance these days.