Phightin' Phils Phorum

Beleaguered Bullpen Gets Another Blow: Lidge Had Knee Surgery Wednesday

The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen was a question mark going into the season already but has now taken another blow as closer Brad Lidge underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. The right handed closer already had elbow surgery and the knee surgery will all but seal his fate of not being ready for opening day.

The Phillies bullpen has remained the teams biggest need this offseason and hopefully this will be a wake up call to General Manager Ruben Amaro that having enough arms is not adequate and that the team needs at least two more quality set up men if they hope to repeat as division champions let alone league champions.

The other question that comes to mind is how much does Lidge have left in the tank after these surgeries. This is his third knee surgery since joining the team. He is already recovering from elbow surgery. Can he ever really be healthy enough to be relied on to save 40 games for the Phillies?

The team needs another bullpen arm with closing experience. Danys Baez will not cut it in that role. It is time to make a trade or sign a free agent that can step in if Brad Lidge can not come back both healthy and effective!

What do you think about the Phillies bullpen? 

Check out our new discussion group to give your opinions on the 2010 Phillies!

Should Lidge Have Been Brought in For the Final Out?

Before Brad Lidge threw a pitch last night the Philadelphia Phillies were the 2009 N.L. East Champions. But some were outraged that Charlie Manuel went to Lidge in that situation. Several people in the crowd at Chickie's and Pete's in Egg Harbor Township, NJ booed as Lidge warmed up. One fan told me it spoiled her excitement about the Phillies winning.

Was it a nice gesture or is Charlie Manuel trying any way that he can to get Lidge back into the closer's role? Was it a slight to Scott Eyre and the rest of the team? The bigger question is, who will he go to in a one run game in the playoffs. Your thoughts?

If you do not have post season tickets and want to watch the Phillies with other fans, Chickie's and Pete's is the place to go. The food is great, the staff is awesome, and the atmosphere is second only to Citizens Bank Park!

Did One Pitch Make Ryan Madson a Closer?

Ryan Madson owns the plate in the eighth inning. Just look at his stats as a set up man. His stats in the ninth inning though have been as bad as Brad Lidge's have been. Did that all change with one pitch last night?

Madson and the Philadelphia Phillies had a three run lead in the ninth inning last night when Ryan gave up a hit in his second inning of work. Everyone in Phillies Nation wondered if it would be yet another

blown save. Madson buried Houston's Hunter Pence in the count then threw a pitch that may have made him a closer. Ryan put Hunter Pence on the ground. Pence was certainly off balance before striking out to end the game on the next pitch.

Was this what Madson needed to do to take control in the ninth inning? Yes. Madson needed to make a statement to himself, his teammates, and the league. He did that with the inside pitch. He told the opposition that the ninth inning belongs to him, the inside pitch belongs to him, and that he is not afraid to throw at a hitter regardless of the situation with his 98 MPH fastball.

The result was not just a save, not just a win that moved the Phillies magic number to one with the combination of the Braves loss, but it could be the coming of age of a new closer for Philadelphia. If Madson matured with that one pitch last night, he may now have the confidence to close games for the Phillies and be the missing puzzle piece that leads the team to its second consecutive World Series title. When all else fails, Madson can back off the opposition with an inside pitch. He has the stuff to be a closer, now he may also have added the mental makeup needed to get the job done!

Look for the Phillies to win the division tonight. Phightin' Phils Phorum will be live at the game and at Chickie's and Pete's in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. We will be interviewing fans to get their take on the Phillies 2009 postseason. 

Don't forget to check out MLBComplete.com for all of you MLB headlines and insight!

Phillies First Pitch: Phillies vs. Brewers 9/27/09 Lineups and Game Chat

The magic number remains at four as the Philadelphia Phillies lost yet another game in the ninth inning and the questions marks get bigger and bigger as the fear of another 1964 creeps into the fans recollection. The bullpen is a patchwork and as it stands there is no even decent option for the ninth inning.

The final week of the season and the playoffs will depend on some crossed fingers and a lot of luck. For the Phillies to repeat, they need J.C. Romero to return healthy and effective. Romero could return as early as Monday. He has not pitched since mid July and the chances of him not only being healthy but also effective are probably at best 50/50. The same can be said of Chan Ho Park. Will his hamstring recover to the point where he will be effective?

Brett Myers had his bullpen session moved up from Tuesday to Monday. IF the strain in his latisimus dorsi is completely healed and IF he can reprise is dominance at closer from two seasons ago, the ninth inning problem could be solved.

Did someone say a wing and a prayer? That is what our Phillies season has come to. While the Phillies have the best lineup in baseball, the deepest starting rotation in the National League, and one of the best defensive teams in the game, they are missing a major ingredient to win another championship. As I said before, keep your fingers crossed. The ninth inning is going to be an adventure!

Today, the Phillies face the Milwaukee Brewers and try to salvage a series split. The pitching match up is Joe Blanton vs. Dave Bush.

Game Time: 2:05pm

Television Broadcast: My Philly 17

Lineups are below. Game chat is in the comments section.

Phillies:

1. Rollins SS
2. Victorino CF
3. Utley 2B
4. Howard 1B
5. Werth RF
6. Ibanez LF
7. Feliz 3B
8. Bako C
9. Blanton P

Brewers:

1. Counsell 2B
2. Hart RF
3. Braun LF
4. Fielder 1B
5. McGehee 3B
6. Cameron CF
7. Escobar SS
8. Rivera C
9. Bush P

If Brad Lidge Were a Horse He Would Be Shot!

If Brad Lidge was a horse, he would have been shot. Lidge blew an unbelievable eleventh save tonight as Charlie Manuel has no other options and the Phillies continue to struggle holding a lead in the ninth inning. I don't know what else to say other than the Phillies are screwed come October.

What do you do now? Madson needs to stay in the eighth. Brett Myers has a strained shoulder. Can you trust him to (a) get healthy then (b) be an effective closer in the playoffs? I am not sure of either. With a team that is better than what they had a year ago, it is hard to see how there will be another parade down Broad Street.

In his last 6 appearance before tonight, he had an ERA of 10.80. What is it now if you add this game, close to 15? Lidge needs to go after the season. I am thankful for what he did last season but he is not the answer to the ninth inning in Philadelphia. The Phillies will not be getting any sleep tonight. Terrible loss for the Phillies. I feel sick to my stomach!

Carlos Ruiz Tipping Brad Lidge's Pitches

Could Carlos Ruiz be part of Brad Lidge's problem in 2009? Some say yes. After a discussion on MLB Network's "MLB Tonight", the topic again was discussed on Sirius XM Homeplate's "The Show" today. Some speculate that one of Brad Lidge's issues in closing out games in 2009 has been catcher Carlos Ruiz tipping his pitches to the opposing team.

According to the theory, when Ruiz calls for a slider he drops his leg to prepare for a ball in the dirt. He evidently is setting up too early giving the hitter time to realize what pitch he is going to throw. Rumor has it that in the Mets clubhouse this was a topic of conversation after Lidge's rocky performance on Saturday. Supposedly a batter that struck out was asked why he swung when he knew ahead of time that the pitch would be a slider in the dirt.

I reviewed tape of the game and from what I can see, it does seem plausible that Ruiz is tipping pitches. While this doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Brad has no command over his fastball, it certainly could be part of why batters are not swinging at some of the fastballs that are out of the strike zone like they did last season.

The coaching staff needs to look at tape and ensure that Ruiz is not tipping pitches. If he is, correcting it could be the first step in getting Brad Lidge back.

Phillies Bounce Back With a Sweep... Bullpen and Hitting Still MIA!

I went to bed with a pit in my stomach last night after the disaster that was yesterday's game. Tonight I celebrate with the Phillies 6.5 games up and a magic number of 4, but the pit is still there and the long term prognosis may not be good.

While Pedro Martinez went above and beyond throwing 8 shut out innings and throwing 130 pitches, something he has not done in 10 years, only a fool could not see the real problem. Charlie Manuel is afraid to go to his bullpen. We saw it in the early game when he left Kyle Kendrick in too long.

As I watched the Brewers/ Diamondbacks game between Phillies games and saw Trevor Hoffman save the game, I have to wonder why Ruben Amaro did not put in a claim for him when he was placed on waivers. The Phillies pen is in big trouble and while I am not telling you something you don't already know, consider this:

If the Phillies lose in the first round of the playoffs because Manuel leaves a starter in too long or the pen can not close a game, it is going to be a long ugly winter in Philadelphia and Amaro will have to answer for not fixing a problem that was glaring before the trade deadline.

I still believe that Brett Myers is the best option for the closer role right now. Despite last night's outing, he has the experience and the stuff to get the job done. The time to try him there is NOW! Ryan Madson is not the answer. Before tonight's game in which he was effective, he was 1-3 with a 7.82 ERA and 7-13 in save situations. He is now 8-14 and his stats as a closer are worse than Lidge's.

To make things worse, the Phillies lineup has forgotten how to get a hit with a runner on base thus creating more close games and a bigger need for a closer. Has Charlie thought of shaking up the lineup like he has done in the past moving Werth to 2 and Victorino to 6th in the lineup? Something has to get them going again.

The Phillies just do not have the momentum going down the stretch like they have had in the past few years. Sure they are not coming from behind but it would be nice to see some life from the pen and the lineup before the first round of the playoffs!

Lidge to Impact Playoff Picture?

Brad Lidge continues to struggle as seen by Charlie Manuel's short leash in last night's win against the Washington Nationals. Manuel has seemed to finally understand that Lidge may not be his answer down the stretch run saying, "When I tell you he's my closer, I don't tell lies. But the team and the game is bigger than my heart." But what about the damage already done?

No one expected Lidge to have another perfect season. But what Lidge has done is blown enough games that the Phillies have lost to give them the worst record as of today of the three division leaders. The Los Angeles Dodgers and St Louis Cardinals each have 83-57 records while the Phillies have a 78-58 record. This means that if the season ended today, the Phillies would not have home field advantage in any playoff series. Sure the Phillies have been outstanding on the road this season. But the playoffs are a whole different thing.

Had Lidge blown as many as 5 games (still a lot), the Philadelphia Phillies would be sitting pretty right there with the Cardinals and Dodgers. They also would have four less losses than both teams. There is no other way to see it, Lidge's inconsistency has cost the team. Now it could be in a way that determines the outcome of the playoffs.

10 Blown Saves? Lidge Needs to Go!

"He is my closer" is no longer an acceptable response when asked about Brad Lidge being the Philadelphia Phillies closer. I do not remember a closer blowing 10 saves and I have lived through some of the worst! Trevor Hoffman was available. Brett Myers is available. Other options were on the table. There is no excuse. There is no time to waste.

The Phillies need to try Myers in the closers role to see if he can handle closing after his injury. They can not wait for Lidge to try to get his act together.

If Manuel continues to use Lidge, it will be as bad as Grady Little pitching Pedro Martinez in the eighth inning against the Yankees in 2003. There is no excuse. Period. LIDGE NEEDS TO GO!

Warm Up Myers, Lidge is Done

Don't say a negative word about Brad Lidge. The guy helped win us a World Series and gets a free pass after his perfect season. Period. However, when you talk about 2009, Lidge is not the answer as closer. He leads the league with 9 blown saves and in late August has shown us that we can not trust him down the stretch and in the playoffs. What are the Phillies to do?

The answer? Brett Myers. Myers will pitch his third rehab assignment tomorrow in Reading. If he can come back healthy, Myers can solidify the ninth inning and replace Lidge. Charlie Manuel can say "Lidge is my guy" all he wants. There is a mental problem here somewhere. Lidge does not have the mindset of a closer. His confidence is shot.

Manuel needs to get Myers in a closing situation very soon and see if he can do the job before the Phillies really need him in the playoffs. If Myers can close 4 or 5 games between now and the end of the season, the Phillies can go deep into October. If he can not and we get the Brad Lidge we have had all season, the Philadelphia Phillies are in big trouble.

When Myers returns get him in a save situation as soon as possible to see if he can be the guy he was in 2007. If he can not be that guy, at least the Phillies will have tried. There is no harm since Lidge could not do any worse than he has done this season.