Phillies Keys to Offseason Success

As the 2009 national league champions Philadelphia Phillies turn the page to 2010, many questions remain up in the air. Though the Phillies made it back to the World Series in ’09, (the first time a national league team has accomplished that since the ’95-’96 Atlanta Braves) it all went to waste losing to the New York Yankees in six games. As Ruben Amaro Jr. enters his sophomore year as the Phillies general manager, he has many questions to answer and options to explore. The pressure is on, and Philadelphia is once again hungry for another championship.

Brad Lidge had the perfect season in 2008, going 41 for 41 in save opportunities during the regular season. Unfortunately, 2009 was a completely different story. Brad Lidge had 11 blown saves, as well as a 0-8 record with an ERA above 7. Going into the ’09 postseason, Lidge seemed almost back to his form when he began the playoffs 3 for 3 in save opportunities, but a crucial lost to the Yankees in game three of the world series proved that Lidge wasn’t himself. Going into the offseason, fans are worried what Lidge we will see in 2010. Also, how will the Phillies coaching staff deal with him if he doesn’t start off on the right foot? The option of acquiring a new closer is out of the question since there are multiple pitchers already on the team roster who are eligible to close, but it may take a while before the role is set in stone. Aside from the closing role, the Phillies also look forward to strengthening their bullpen. If lefty reliever Scott Eyre decides to retire (which he said is a possibility before the start of 2009 season), then a bullpen specialist will be needed. Reliever Chan Ho Park is also a free agent.

Pedro Feliz may not be the most clutch performer on the Phillies, (.254 career batting average) but he is one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. Feliz’s contract with the Phillies expired after the end of the 2009 season, so he his eligible for free agency. The Phillies will try to upgrade their bat at third base, even if they have to sacrifice defensively. Some of the 2010 free agent third basemen that the Phillies may be interested in include Mark DeRosa, who attended the University of Pennsylvania, Chone Figgins, the long-time LA Angels third baseman, and Joe Crede, who previously played for the White Sox. DeRosa is the likely fit for Philadelphia, but many fans are intrigued by the speed and consistency of Figgins, who was a productive bat for the Angels in the leadoff spot hitting .298 in 2009.

It seems as though going into every offseason, the Phillies have no idea how their starting pitching rotation is going to shape up, but somehow, they manage to figure it out during the regular season. Probables for the Phillies starting staff include Cole Hamels, Cliff new (the Phils new ace), and Joe Blanton. Other options include J.A. Happ, who had a superb rookie season, three-time Cy Young award winner Pedro Martinez, or any of the dozens of free-agent pitchers. The Phillies might want to look into acquiring another ace-type pitcher since that’s what the Yankees did last offseason, and coincidentally, they won the World Series. Some free agent options include Angels’ ace John Lackey, Jarrod Washburn, Ben Sheets, and Erik Bedard. If the Phillies decided to resign Martinez, which most likely will happen for a one-year deal, the Phillies would only have one spot left. They could either pick up a free agent, or place Happ in the rotation, rather than the bullpen.

No matter what the Phillies decide, they are going to have to make some tough decisions. If the Phillies want to make it back to the World Series for the third straight year, they are going to have to plan some holiday shopping and explore what’s out there on the market. Hopefully it will be an eventful winter season, but it’s going to take some hard work and time, so it definitely will not be easy.
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Getting All Kubler-Ross On Brad Lidge

Fellow Phillies fans, I don't know about you, but Brad Lidge's blown save last night (his 11th of the season) really took the piss out of me. Hours after the Florida Marlins rallied for 2 runs in the 9th to beat the Phillies 7-6, I found myself staring blankly at nothing in particular when the reality of the situation finally, certainly struck me. This is who Brad Lidge is. For this year anyway, this is what we can expect from him. Acceptance. Watching Lidge pitch this season, I had completely worked my way through the Kubler-Ross model, more commonly known as the 5 stages of grief. You are probably familiar with them: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. So as Brad Lidge threatens to single-handedly ruin the Phillies' chances of a World Series repeat in 2009, allow me to share my grieving process with you.

Denial. Lidge blew his first save of the season on April 18, at home against San Diego. It was his 4th opportunity of the year, and he had allowed runs in 2 of the first 3 that he converted. But he was awesome, awesome in 2008. A perfect 48 of 48 in save chances and other than Cole Hamels' work in the playoffs, Lidge was perhaps the biggest reason why 2 million people got to blow off work and see the Phillies' parade down Broad Street. He wasn't going to be perfect forever and besides, he might as well get these struggles out of the way early in the season. He's still Brad Lidge. He'll be fine. Lidge blew another save in Washington on May 15th, and in the meantime mixed in some shaky outings in non-save situations. Whatever. The Phillies still won a lot of those games. Problem? What Problem? There are absolutely no problems with the back of the Phillies bullpen. I pulled out the DVDs of the 2008 World Series to watch before I went to sleep at night. Newborns on Ambien don't sleep so soundly.

Anger. On May 23rd, the Phillies were in New York to play the Yankees. I live in New York. I got tickets. Decent ones, too. It was my first time at the new Yankee Stadium. It was my birthday. Raul Ibanez homered and I got to yell RAUUUUUUULLLL!!!!!! at all the Yankees fans. John Mayberry, Jr. went deep in his major league debut. The Phillies took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th when Lidge came on to close out the game. After he walked Johnny Damon, Lidge served up the game-tying home run to A-Rod. To make matters worse, the ball landed about 10 feet from where I was sitting in rightfield. The winning run would score later that inning. On Sportscenter that evening I could be seen, in my red Phillies shirt, throwing my head back in disgust as Yankees fans in blue either reached for the ball or celebrated. Brad Lidge ruined my birthday.

Bargaining. Brad Lidge blew a save the very next day. About 2 weeks later, he blew back to back saves in Los Angeles before going on the disabled list with some knee issues. Great, the reason for all of his problems was that he was hurt. We can deal with that. He'll take some time off to get healthy and then be back as good as new. The Phillies were playing well, and nobody else in the division was emerging as a real threat. Let's take the long view here. It's still early, and a healthy Brad Lidge will make all the difference, right? If his knee isn't hurting him, whatever mechanical issues should get fixed, won't they? He can take as long as he needs, work on the things he needs to work on, clear his head, and be his old self again. Charlie Manuel will stay loyal to him. The fans will give him all the support we can possibly give. We won't even boo him! I swear! He deserves our support for all he did for us last year. We'll do anything to get that Brad Lidge back.


Depression. Lidge came off the DL in late June and promptly gave up 2 runs in a 6-1 loss in Toronto. June turned to July. Lidge looked a little better, but not really. July turned into August. Lidge's ERA still hovered around 7. This isn't getting better. This isn't going to get better. Charlie Manuel isn't going to try anything else. Brad Lidge is Charlie's closer. Bottles of Scotch are mine. Lidge blows a save in Chicago. His defense lets him down in Atlanta. Lidge blows a save in Pittsburgh. He can't even close out the Pirates! I find I need to drink heavily during close games. I beg for Pedro Martinez to close games. I beg for Brett Myers to get healthy. It turns out nobody with the Phillies will take my calls. I'm sad. My stomach is in knots. This team is too damn good to have one player ruin everything. Hopelessness overwhelms me. There are no answers. There is no god. There is no Brad Lidge. I don't want to watch this anymore.

Acceptance. But I do. I keep watching. I watch because that's who I am. That's who I've always been. I don't know what else to do on a summer night besides watch the Phillies. And when Brad Lidge hung his eleventy-billionth slider of the year to Brett Carroll, and Brett Carroll did what any Major League hitter does to a hanging slider, I knew that this is who Brad Lidge is too. 2008 is a distant and wonderful memory, and the Brad Lidge that pitched in 2008 is gone. Perhaps not for good, but for 2009. What we are left with is the best offense in baseball, some fantastic starting pitching, and a bullpen that can't get anybody out. There's no fixing this folks, it's too late. Brad Lidge is our closer. Ask Charlie Manuel. Brad Lidge is his closer. I think he says it over and over hoping that he might eventually believe it. We are headed toward a scary end to our season in October. I remember the 1993 Phillies team that had an equally scary closer by the name of Mitch Williams. We all know how that ended. I was 11 and inconsolable at the time. Now? I've prepared myself. That doesn't mean it's going to be easy. The 2009 Phillies, as good as they are, aren't winning anything with Brad Lidge pitching the 9th inning of close games. There is nothing that we as fans can do but accept it. And scream our lungs out hoping that we are wrong.


If you're into that sort of thing, you can read me more often at MikeonthePhillies.
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Ninth inning is still a problem

Yesterday, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel saw another bullpen disaster unfold in front of his eyes. Ryan Madson, the Phils newly appointed closer, blew his sixth save opportunity of the season when he gave up a 2-run bomb to Mets third baseman David Wright, and the Phillies lost 10-9. Madson’s latest miscue came just days after being labeled the team’s new closer for the time being.

Madson, of course, was replacing former Phillies closer Brad Lidge, who has had question marks surrounding him all season. Lidge lost his role after he almost blew his 11th save opportunity of the season in Washington on Tuesday, but luckily Madson came in to save the day. Madson was then trotted out on Wednesday to close out the Nats again and was successful in doing so. He also succeeded in saving the game against the Mets on Friday. Then Saturday happened when the Mets scored five runs on the Phillies bullpen, three runs against Brett Myers and two runs against Ryan Madson.

If I am Charlie Manuel, I only have two options: make Brett Myers the closer or pray for a Brad Lidge miracle. The Ryan Madson experiment is cute and all, but he’s blown almost as many saves as Brad Lidge in not nearly as many chances. Don’t get me wrong, Madson’s stuff looks good at times, but he makes too many costly mistakes, and I just don’t think he has what it takes mentally to do the job.

That being said, I don’t think Brad Lidge has the mental makeup this year to get the job done either. Last year, teams were scared to face a confident Lidge; this year, they salivate at the opportunity to bat against the Phillies shaken closer. Maybe a couple weeks off from closing out games will give Lidge enough mental rest to get his act together.

In the meantime, I think Charlie needs to hand the ball off to Brett Myers in the ninth. He was the team’s closer in 2007 when the Phillies won the division, so he is familiar with the role. Myers loves being in the spotlight and is also hoping to show this team what he can still do, especially since this is the last year of his contract.

Whatever Charlie decides to do, he needs to do it fast. The clock is winding down on the 2009 season, and there isn’t much time left to keep playing “Musical Closers.”
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Charlie The Procrastinator

The Phillies’ recent struggles, which if not turned around soon may spell out an early exit in the 2009 postseason, if they don’t relinquish their now five and a half game lead in the division first, appear to be many from the embarrassing offense to the throw of the dice starting rotation and the weakened bullpen but the biggest problem all year has been Brad Lidge’s inability to close out games and it has not gotten better. The Phillies’ recent struggles, which if not turned around soon may spell out an early exit in the 2009 postseason, if they don’t relinquish their now five and a half game lead in the division first, appear to be many from the embarrassing offense to the throw of the dice starting rotation and the weakened bullpen but the biggest problem all year has been Brad Lidge’s inability to close out games and it has not gotten better.

Everyone knows about Lidge’s perfect 2008 season. In 2009, however, he has become arguably the worst closer in baseball. If not for his ten, count them, ten blown saves at this point in the season the Phils would be in much better shape to lose a few as they are doing now. Almost every closer will blow a few save opportunities each year, but even if Lidge converted five of those ten that he has blown, the team would have eighty-four wins right now, as opposed to seventy-nine and a more comfortable lead in the division.

Phils manager Charlie Manuel has stuck by Lidge all season long with his “He’s my closer” moniker, but how much confidence could Charlie possibly be instilling in his closer if he keeps letting him blow save after save? In fact, it’s possible that the World Series Champion manager is doing more harm than good. Just watch Lidge’s body language when he’s on the mound and his extremely heavy breathing. This is not a sign of a guy who is confident. In fact, he looks terrified.

Charlie Manuel wanted to stick by Lidge after what he did for him, the team and the city last season and that is very respectable. There has to come a time, however, when last year is over and new adjustments are made to win games this year. “He’s my closer,” he says. Well, then guess what Charlie? If he’s your closer come October, you’ll be sitting at home on the couch after a few games and watching the World Series on TV.

Over the past few nights, Charlie Manuel has been more willing to use others, such as Ryan Madson, to close out games. Manuel has stated that at this point he’ll have to play the match-ups and do what’s best for the team rather than simply let Lidge blow game after game. One has to wonder, however, if this isn’t something they should have sorted out two months ago when Lidge was clearly not up for being the closer this year. Perhaps experimenting with a few different guys to close out games in July would have left the team a bit more prepared in September and October. Hopefully Charlie’s procrastination doesn’t turn into a disaster.
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One Month to Go

by Chris Pollay

After today's much-needed day off, the Philadelphia Phillies will head into September with a nice comfortable lead in the race for the National League East title.

Regardless of who wins today's matchup between the Florida Marlins and the Atlanta Braves, Philly will start the final month of the 2009 regular season with a 7 1/2 game lead with 34 games left to play.

The schedule is divided up evenly with 17 home games and 17 road games. However, it'd probably be better news if the Phils had a lot more road games left as they still boast the best road record in MLB at 41-23.

Still, anyway you slice it, the Phils are in great shape and are highly likely to make a third consecutive postseason appearance.

Of those remaining 34 games, 22 are against opponents who are currently under .500 in the win column. In fact, the Phillies have a combined 43-28 record against their remaining opponents, which include: San Francisco (3 games); Houston (8 games); Washington (6 games); New York Mets (4 games); Atlanta (3 games); Florida (6 games); and Milwaukee (4 games).

The team continues to play solidly, winning 15 games during the month of August including 14 of their last 19. The team is hot and a lot of positive signs are popping up.

Ryan Howard has been on a tear lately. Jimmy Rollins has been swinging the bat well for a long stretch. In all, four different sluggers (Howard, Utley, Werth and Ibañez) have at least 27 homers this season. That's some serious firepower.

In fact, the team still leads the National League in numerous categories: home runs, runs, total bases, SLG and OPS. The team's hitting will keep them in almost every ball game.

So, their postseason run will probably depend a lot more on pitching. The starters are an intimidating rotation. Cliff Lee finally proved he was human with his first bad start with the team. The Braves beat him up on Saturday by garnering ten hits (including three homers) and scoring six earned runs. Lee only lasted five innings.

To put that in perspective, Lee had not given up a homer in his five previous starts (all wins) and he had never lasted less than seven innings in an outing. Even more impressive, he had given up only three earned runs altogether in his five starts prior to Saturday. After the Braves lit him up, his ERA (since joining the team) jumped from .675 to 1.8, which is still quite impressive overall.

Joe Blanton, who delivered a gutsy pitching performance on Sunday to help the Phils take the series, has been consistent for a long, long time now. He hasn't given up more than three earned runs in any of his last 12 starts.

J.A. Happ has exceeded any and all expectations. The young hurler is 10 and 3 this season with a stringent 2.63 ERA. He was 3 and 1 in August and never gave up more than three runs in any of those starts.

Those three pitchers are all pitching like aces right now, which shows how deep the starting pitching is for the Phillies. After all, the MVP of the 2008 World Series is not one of their three top options at the moment. Still, don't bet against Cole Hamels if the team makes it to the postseason. He has been shaky in August, to be sure, but I believe he will lead by example in September.

Starting pitching won't be the issue for the Phillies as the season winds down. It's all about the bullpen, which, of course, has been struggling all season long. The team seems no closer to finding a secure closer, either. Brad Lidge did manage to save the game on Sunday, but his 7.03 ERA is not going to scare any teams when the Phillies hold a late lead from here on out.

Opponents will take comfort that he has blown nine saves in 36 opportunities. That's once every four chances!

Manager Charlie Manuel has one month to go to try to fix the problem, and though the Phillies should have a lot of options to consider, they are running out of time.

The team will make the playoffs. That is almost a forgone conclusion at this point. However, how far the team can go is an absolute mystery to me. Philadelphia certainly has enough potential to win a championship, but it can just as likely be beaten in the first or second round if the bullpen can't come together in time. Read more!

Sorry Philadelphia, No Repeat

As the playoffs near while the division and wild card races heat up, the World Series begins to pop up in all fans’ heads. Every fan and MLB analyst has his or her opinion on who is going to make it and win the Fall Classic, but nothing is set in stone, and the unexpected is a common theme. For the fans of Philadelphia, 2008 was one of the most memorable years in franchise history, but a repeat this year would make these two years even more memorable. If you consider how hard it is to get to the final series, especially with the much-needed luck and how the game is played today, the Phillies road to another championship will not be so easy. The Phils definitely have the talent, which they have proven over the last two seasons, but that key factor, luck, could unfortunately get in way.

After the Yankees went on their back- to- back-to-back tear from 1998-2000, there were six different World Series winners up to last year. In major league history, there have been 13 different times in which the same team won two consecutive championships. If you exclude the Yankees, the same feat has only happened seven times since the Modern era (1901-Present) began. So, keeping these statistics in mind, it’s quite rare to find a talented enough team to repeat. I am not saying it is out of the question for the Phillies, but some luck and timing will be essential for this to occur.

Luck plays a large part in winning a world series, but it only makes such a difference. Plain and simply, you need to have the tools throughout your lineup in order to succeed, and do it consistently. The Phillies may have just that, but they are not the only ones. The overpowering Yankees, consistent Angels, (who haven’t lost more than three games in a row this season) and the stacked Dodgers, are just a few of the teams in both leagues that could easily be crowned the 2009 champion. My biggest fear as a Phillies fan are those Yanks. The Yankees may have started off a bit slow, but they are without a doubt one of the best teams in baseball right now. They have a 6.5 game lead over the Boston Red Sox, (another stacked lineup) and an almost sure spot in the playoffs. One may say that the Phillies have an eight game lead over the Braves in their division. While this is true, I must admit that they are not playing in the best division in baseball; the Yankees are. Even if the Phillies do win the National League Pennant, clinching the whole thing is going to be a lot tougher than last year.

Aside from the tough competition, the required luck, and everything else it takes to win a championship, the Phillies have some major issues looming over them as they enter September and the end of the season. I won’t go into much detail for I am sure everyone has heard multiple times about them, but if they aren’t cleared up and fixed soon, I am saying it right now, the Phillies will NOT win the World Series. Brad ‘Lights Out’ Lidge isn’t too “lights out” anymore, and without a consistent and reliable closer, it makes it 10 times harder to put away a team up by one run in the ninth inning. Speaking of reliable, last year’s Cole Hamels was the ace of the staff, but this year you never know which Hamels you are going to get. Usually, it’s not the good Hamels. If the Phillies want to go deep into the postseason, they won’t be able to do this if they only rely on Cliff Lee. Now, those are the two biggest issues concerning the Phillies right now, but some other minor problems include Pedro Martinez’s consistency and Raul Ibanez’s lost stroke. With all of this said, no one can’t be surprised, for we all know that all Philadelphia teams like to play “the hard way”.


Not everything has been negative as of late. The Phillies will be able to call up some minor leaguers in September when the 25-man roster increases. Off the bench power could be provided by Michael Taylor, though it is just a possibility. The return of Brett Myers could put a final statement in the bullpen, but after a long layoff from being on the DL, who knows what he will contribute to the ballclub? Aside from players internally helping out the club, the Phillies do have a seven game lead over the Braves as of August 30, so this gives them time and flexibility to fix their problems. If it were a closer race, the patience for Brad Lidge to return to form would be at a minimum, and the City of Brotherly Love would be going frantic. Let’s all hope we never reach that point.

Playoff baseball is the best thing in sports. The atmospheres, intensity, close ballgames, great pitching matchups, and walk off homeruns are something that no other sport can match. Of course, it makes it that much better when your team is in it. I believe the Phillies will make their third straight playoff appearance and they will make it far into postseason play. Just how far is the question. The Phils are a great team, but there are always teams that are better. As much as I hate to say this as a diehard Phillies fan, sorry Philadelphia, no repeat this year.

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More Brad Lidge Talk

Before we get started here, understand something. Nobody wants to talk about Brad Lidge less than I do. It's hard enough to watch him for a few tenuous minutes if he happens to be pitching the 9th inning of that particular evening's game. At this point, you'd think that whatever problem Lidge seems to be having this year would be solved by now, one way or another. And make no mistake, Brad Lidge is a big problem.

As it is right now, the one thing that stands between the Phillies and a second consecutive World Series is the guy taking the ball in the 9th inning of close games. It's a sad thing to see, mostly because the main reason the Phillies won last year's title was the consistent domination of Bradley Lidge. But for the 2009 version of the Phillies, Lidge is the biggest, and perhaps only liability. You can make the case that the team could stand to improve their bench and that they need to do a better job of hitting with runners in scoring position, but for a club with 8 solid everyday players that is build around the 3-run homer, those problems could very well take care of themselves.

Of course, the Lidge situation could take care of itself as well, but as August gives way to September with no resolution in sight, the Phillies are running out of time. The good news is that Philly holds a comfortable 7 game lead over the Braves and Marlins in the NL East, so they can afford to use the month of September to fix the most glaring hole on their roster. Let's take a look at some of the ways the Brad Lidge situation could sort itself out.

Lidge could magically figure things out. I mean, it's not outside the realm of possibility. What's crazier: That the best closer in baseball last year would put up a 7+ ERA the following year, or that he discovers whatever it is that is failing him and throws together a great September and October. We already know by virtue of his unwavering support thus far that Charlie Manuel will give him every opportunity to succeed.

A look at Lidge's very recent history may indicate that things are not as bad as we think. The last blow up against the Pirates was pretty bad, but he was pitching for the 4th consecutive day. It's not unheard of for relievers to pitch 4 days in a row, but it's sort of seen as the threshold. You don't see anybody pitching 5 days in a row. It was a good test for Lidge against a bad team, but he failed miserably. So hopefully Charlie can chalk that one up to a lesson learned. Don't trot Lidge out there after he's pitched 3 days in a row.

Of the 3 days he pitched before the blown save in Pittsburgh, he looked very good in two of those appearances. Said appearances were sandwiched around the game that ended on Eric Bruntlett's unassisted triple play, and all three of the base runners allowed in that outing were the result of poor defense. His most recent blown save before that, August 15th in Atlanta, was also the result of poor defense (though some of that was from Lidge himself). So while we are talking about a very small sample size here, it is possible that there is enough going right for Lidge that he could find his way out of the woods any day now...

The Phillies could look outside the organization. Reports have surface that Chad Qualls and Trevor Hoffman have been put on waivers by their respective clubs in recent days. However, it is highly unlikely that either of those players would go unclaimed or even make it far enough through the process to be claimed by the Phillies. While this could change if something interesting presented itself, Ruben Amaro has indicated that the Phillies with likely fill any needs internally. Qualls and Hoffman would be good alternatives for the Phillies, but the possibility of that happening is pretty close to zero.

Pedro Martinez could close. The possibility of Pedro pitching out of the bullpen has not been raised publicly in too many places, but it is worth a shot. As a starter, Martinez has not proven to be that much of an upgrade on Jamie Moyer, who's rotation spot he replaced. Pedro's stuff has looked very good, it's just that he has not shown an ability to maintain it for more than 4 innings. Martinez certainly has the moxie to close, and if he could dial up his best stuff for an inning or so at a time he could be very effective in that role. The Phillies have not given any indication that they are ready to try Pedro out of the bullpen, but if he is unable to go more than 5 innings in his next start or two, they may think about ways he can better help the team.

Brett Myers could close. Though he has been very good so far in his rehab outings, it is still unclear how much Myers will be able to help the team this season after having hip surgery in June. But we do know that if healthy, Myers has the stuff and the mentality to succeed in the role. In fact, after pitching so well as a closer in 2007, Myers indicated that he preferred the 9th inning role, and only the acquisition of Lidge that winter moved him back into the starting rotation. Time is of the essence with Myers, as he will only have about a month to show the Phillies what he can do this season. But if he can come back healthy and Lidge continues to falter, the Phillies owe it to themselves to give Myers a shot to close out game. He very well may be their best alternative.

The Phillies could opt for a closer-by-committee. Sure, this approach is really just another way of saying that you have no closer, but is that really that far from accurate? On a few occasions this year, Charlie Manuel has opted to allow Scott Eyre begin the 9th inning when a team has a few tough lefties due up. This has worked out well when it has happened and I think Charlie should take this idea and run with it. The Phillies bullpen is full of guys with back-of-the-pen stuff- Chan Ho Park, Ryan Madson, Eyre, and Lidge, with Myers and JC Romero on the way back from injury. In the absence of better alternatives, it might be best for Charlie to play the best matchups in the 9th inning rather than default to defined roles. The downside could be that bullpen roles are defined often because relievers prefer them to be, but if they know that the 9th inning is going to be a kitchen sink situation from now on it could be effective.

Obviously, the easiest solution to all of this is for Brad Lidge to become Brad Lidge again. If that doesn't work and Brett Myers is healthy, I'd like to see him get a shot. If he is not able to contribute in that role, I'd like to see the Phillies take the committee approach and play the matchups. But one way or another a solution must be found. This Phillies team is too good to have their shot at another World Series undermined by an inability to get three outs in the 9th inning.

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The Phillies Need More Closure... And Soon

By Chris Pollay

When you compare the 2009 Phillies with their 2008 Championship counterparts, it becomes apparent that last year’s team had one crucial advantage, a saving grace, if you will: closer Brad Lidge.

At times, he hoisted the entire team on his shoulders in 2008 and carried them to the finish line. This year, however, he is not the same player. He is the team’s biggest question mark as the Phils gear up to try to make a third consecutive postseason appearance.

Philly fans will never forget the immaculate numbers from last year: 41 saves in 41 opportunties in the regular season and seven saves in seven opportunities in the playoffs. Pure perfection.

His ERA for the regular season was a phenomenal 1.95 in 72 games and a merciless .96 in seven appearances during the postseason. He was virtually unhittable for the entire season and the Phillies never conceded a ninth inning lead all season long!

Think about that for a moment. Nothing gives a team more confidence than sending in a perfect closer to maintain a ninth-inning lead. That kind of confidence leads to championships.

This year, however, the closer has proved to be unstable, at best.

Lidge has struggled mightily and injuries have gotten the better of him for much of the year. With about six weeks left in the season, the right-hander has only saved 23 games in 31 opportunities (during 49 games). He also holds an 0 and 5 record, which contrasts sharply with last year’s 2 and 0 effort.

The closer you look at the Phil’s closer, the more distraught you will become by the numbers, especially if you compare them to the stats in 2008. He has already given up 35 earned runs so far this year, which is more than twice his total allowed of all of last season (he only gave up 15 earned runs in the regular season and one earned run in the postseason).

In 2008, throughout the course of pitching 69.1 regular season innings, Lidge only gave up 50 hits and two home runs. After pitching 43.2 innings this season, he has already been lit up for 52 hits and ten homers.

Clearly, the persistent pain in Lidge’s right knee has affected him more than he has let on. His numbers have spiked all season long which means his mechanics are simply not working properly and his confidence isn’t the same.

Perhaps what is most troubling (besides his 7.21 ERA) is that he has only given up three earned runs or less for an entire month once this season (June). In fact, he has already given up five in August and we’re only at the mid-point.

To put that in perspective, Lidge only allowed more than three earned runs in an entire month once all of last season (July).

The crucial weekend series against the division rival Atlanta Braves proved to be a microcosm for Lidge’s up and down 2009 season. He pitched in all three games, recording a save on Friday in nail-biting fashion, then blowing a save on Saturday before pitching the final out and earning a save again yesterday.

In all he pitched only 1 2/3 innings, yet, he gave up three hits, three walks and two runs. He also committed two errors on Saturday in a game he certainly does not want to remember.

But, here’s the reason why Philly fans should not panic: Somehow, the team has a better record now (66-49) than they had at this same point last season (62-53)... and they’re doing it without a dominant closer.

Of course, I realize a blown save in the postseason can change the momentum of an entire playoff series. Despite the shaky stats, Phils’ manager Charlie Manager is resolute in keeping Lidge in the closer role. He insists the team is completely confident with him on the mound late in the game (even if fans are not).

Since Ol’ Cholly has brought the City of Brotherly Love its first championship in 25 years, I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. He believes in players, not numbers, and his team has already proved that it knows what it takes to be champions.

Even though they have had more than their share of problems this year, the Phillies keep finding ways to win. They are ahead of last season’s pace and still look poised to make a potentially deep October run. As a fan, I have to believe Lidge will step up again and be a positive difference maker when it matters most for the team.

Guess we'll find out soon enough. This should be another interesting September. Read more!

What to do about the ninth inning?

On a day where some questions about Cole Hamels appeared to be answered, other questions concerning Brad Lidge remain. Hamels pitched six innings and gave up just two earned runs Saturday afternoon against the Atlanta Braves on his way to what should have been his eighth win of the season, but when it came time for the Phils to turn the game over Brad Lidge, he gave up two runs in the ninth, and the Phillies lost 4-3.

Saturday’s outing by Hamels put to rest (at least until his next start) questions as to where the Phillies ace falls in the rotation as the season draws closer to the playoffs. In his previous two starts, Cole has only pitched 10 innings total, and he has also given up 10 earned runs and walked six batters while only striking out six. Throughout the season, Hamels has had a few quality starts followed by a few sub-par performances. The Phillies desperately need Hamels to string together four or five consecutive good starts not only to build his confidence going into the playoffs but to also provide the Phillies with the much-needed wins necessary to clinch the division.

Saturday’s game also saw another blown save by Phillies closer Brad Lidge, his eighth of the year. This comes just a day after Lidge looked so effective in saving Friday night’s 3-2 victory for the Phillies, earning him his 22nd save of the year. Sure, you could blame the defense for why the Phils lost on Saturday, but Lidge contributed to that by committing two costly errors on the same play to allow the tying run to score and put the winning run on third with nobody out. After two walks and a strikeout, Lidge eventually gave up a single to Omar Infante to complete the Phillies’ collapse.

With the season inching ever so closely to September and October, the question as to what to do with Brad Lidge looms over the defending world champs. His sole job is to record three outs, shut the door on the opposing team, and secure victory for the team, but throughout this year, he just hasn’t been getting that done at all. Even in his saves, Lidge has looked shaky, giving up home runs and walks.

But what can the Phillies do? They already know Ryan Madson can’t be their closer based upon how he performed in that role earlier this season, and J.C. Romero is not only on the disabled list but I’m sure the Phillies don’t want to take him out of his setup role. That only leaves Brett Myers as the only other viable option to pitch the ninth inning if Lidge continues to struggle. Myers already has a history of closing with the Phillies. In 2007, Myers moved from the rotation to the bullpen to fill that much needed vacancy. Myers, however, is still on the disabled list recovering from hip surgery, and suffered another setback. He was supposed to pitch one inning for the Phillies Clearwater minor league team, but he reportedly was scratched today because he injured his eye.

As the 2009 regular season draws to an end, the Phillies are going to need an effective Cole Hamels as well as a closer in which they have confidence, whether it is Brad Lidge, Brett Myers, or someone else. The rest of the staff is pitching just fine and the bats have started to come alive again, and the Phillies need that to continue if they plan on repeating in October.
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Rotation Fixed, Now What About the Phillies Bullpen?

It wasn't Roy Halladay, but the Phillies filled needs for a top of the rotation starter and a righty bat off the bench yesterday when they traded for Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco. So that makes the Phillies the clear favorite in the National League, right? Well, yes and no. The deal with Cleveland certainly gave them a formidable top of the rotation to go along with the best offense in the league, but a July hot streak has hidden what could be the Phillies' Achilles heal come October: the bullpen.

JC Romero, Chad Durbin, and Clay Condrey all currently on the DL, depleting the Philadelphia relief corps. But the offense had been scoring a lot of runs of late, and combined with some good starting pitching, the bullpen's problems have been somewhat mitigated, save for the all too common Brad Lidge heart attack special. But therein lies the biggest issue...

With baseball's non-waiver trade deadline less than 24 hours away, it appears that the Phillies have finished dealing and therefore bullpen help might not be on the way from outside the organization. I don't see this as a problem for two reasons. First, trading for a reliever from outside of the organization can be a crap shoot. You never really know what you're going to get, but you know you're not going to get a fresh arm. And a couple of those are what the Phillies need right now. It's not like the fatigue on a reliever's arm resets when he gets traded to a new team.

Second, it's very possible that reinforcements are on the way within the next few weeks, provided fill-ins like Kyle Kendrick and Tyler Walker can hold down the fort for that long. When Pedro Martinez is ready to pitch in the major leagues, either he or JA Happ will be sent to the bullpen, and either has the potential to make a major impact in that role. Rodrigo Lopez could be given a shot in the bullpen after tonight's start, but he could also be placed on waivers, sent to the minors if unclaimed, or even traded. Brett Myers is currently in Clearwater rehabbing from hip surgery and hopes to join the team as a reliever in mid to late August. So with Ryan Madson, Chan Ho Park, and Scott Eyre still performing reliably in middle relief and set-up roles, it is safe to say that that part of the bullpen should be fine the rest of the way and won't likely have an adverse effect on the Phillies division title chances. The problem comes in the playoffs. The problem is Brad Lidge.

Anyone who has been paying attention this season knows that Brad Lidge has been really bad. Here we are, almost in August, and Lidge's ERA is still over 7.00. It's not just the blown saves. It's the shaky saves. It's the cardiac saves. It's the runs given up in tie games. I don't know a single Phillies fan who trusts Brad Lidge in the 9th inning with the game on the line. But I don't think the he will prevent the team from winning the division. The NL East is weak and the Phillies have enough fire power elsewhere to cover for him. But he very well could prevent the Phillies from repeating as World Champs.

I'm not sure anyone really knows for sure what the problem is with Lidge this season. One would think that he is almost certainly hurt, but he spent some time on the DL this season and it didn't seem to help. I also think that he is a bit of a headcase. We saw this at times when he was with Houston (he was available for trade in the "needs change of scenery" bin), but we didn't see it last year in Philly because he never had a reason to get down on himself, what with being perfect in save chances and recording the final out of the World Series and everything. But this year I think injuries have affected him to an unknown degree and he's let some bad outings snowball on him mentally. The bad news for the Phillies is that I think they are stuck with him as a closer, and their chances of a repeat rest on his right arm.

Brad Lidge signed a massive contract extension last season, and Charlie Manuel sticks by his guys. We've seen this pay off with guys like Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth eventually coming through with the confidence of their manager. Also, with a trade unlikely, it does not appear that the Phillies have any alternatives. Ryan Madson proved that he could not handle the 9th inning earlier in the season. Chan Ho Park has been the only other consistent reliever all season and it is doubtful that he would be removed from his multiple inning role. Brett Myers was a fantastic closer for the Phillies in 2007, but his return is not guaranteed. Even if it was, I still think Charlie would stick by his guy. He has given no indication that he wouldn't. So in the absence of any viable alternatives and with a manager who has given no indication that his confidence in Lidge is wavering, the Phillies only option is for their closer to figure this thing out at some point. While it is certainly possible that this could happen, nothing about Lidge's performance gives anyone any confidence that it will. Well, except for Charlie Manuel, the only person who's confidence (or lack thereof) actually matters. The rest of us are stuck. We have no choice but to ride this Brad Lidge roller coaster and hope that it comes to a complete stop somewhere near Broad Street, and when we get out, disoriented but exhilarated, there will be a another parade waiting for us.
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