Manual Would Have Been Wise to Address the Closer Situation Sooner

With the postseason quickly approaching, skipper Charlie Manual has a major issue looming over his head.

Or maybe it’s more of a headache.

If he has the lead in the ninth, who does he call on to save game come playoff time?

Manual and the Phillies now find themselves using a “closer-by-committee” to finish games with a little over two weeks until the NLDS begins.

And while Philadelphia holds its collective breath over which poison Manual will go with on any given night (Madson or Lidge), it would seem the entire situation could have been avoided.

Midseason it was evident that Brad Lidge was not in his 2008 form.  His ERA was at least four runs higher than the year prior, his strikeouts were down, and his hits and walks were up, and more importantly, he was blowing games.

Not only had Lidge lost his “lights out” status, his bridge, the “Mad Dog” Ryan Madson, didn’t perform much better in the role after Lidge was sent to the DL with a sprained right knee.  The set-up man translated horribly to the closer as Madson was nearly a carbon-copy of Lidge in the ninth.

Manual however, stuck with his guy, hoping he’d iron out his problems, hoping he’d turn it on.

That’s where the problem lies.

Manual, a noted players manager, supported his guy for too long. 

Had he addressed the problem then through either a trade, position movement, or even through sheer trial and error, the Phillies might be focused on who is going to pitch what day in the playoffs instead of who is going to close games.

Benching Lidge in early August would have given him a chance to test Tyler Walker, or JC Romero (before his injury) in the closer role.  We could have seen a trade for an established reliever who was looking for a role with a contender.

Instead he waited, and now it’s too late. 

The Phillies are stuck with a closer who can’t close, a set-up man who can’t don any better, and no time to send them anywhere to tweak their arm slot, motion, etc.  And with Myer’s shoulder injury and Martinez pitching well in the starting rotation; it doesn’t look like we’ll see a major change anytime soon.

Jamie Moyer and Chris Coste were both casualties of baseball moves (different moves, respectively) why wasn’t Lidge?

Sometimes it’s better to cast feelings aside and do what’s best for the team, something Charlie Manual should have done a long time ago with Brad Lidge, when there was time.

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No Treat For The Mad Dog

Ryan Madson was thrust into the closer role this weekend after watching his fellow bullpen member Brad Lidge nearly blow his eleventh game of the season against the Washington Nationals.  And while Madson got the save that night the “Mad Dog” hasn’t looked good since being officially named the unofficial closer for the Philadelphia Phillies.

After coming into the game with a one run lead on Saturday night, Madson recorded two quick ground outs.  Fernando Tatis then singled which set up a two-run-homerun by David Wright.  It was Madson’s sixth blown save of the season.

Think about that for a moment.

Madson has six blow saves in thirteen chances and Brad Lidge has ten blown saves in thirty-nine chances. A .744 and .538 save percentage respectively.  And while Madson’s ERA is nearly whole runs better, it’s evident that neither is getting the job done in ninth.

Madson first showed he was incapable of holding the lead in the ninth during Lidge’s stint on the DL early in the season and has looked no more capable in the other chances he’s been given throughout the season.

Ten blown is bad, six isn’t much better.

It’s time for manager Charlie Manuel to give the fans what they want.

Give the fans Brett Myers.

 

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Lidge Tossing His Way Out of The Ninth

It looks like Charlie Manuel got the hint.

Brad Lidge is not helping the Phillies.

After nearly blowing a save last night against a horrid Washington Nationals team, Manuel pulled Lidge in favor of Ryan Madson.

It’s about time.

Lidge came into the game as an owner of ten blown saves, an ERA of 7.11, and a WHIP of 1.816.  And he looked to make it eleven blown saves on the season after giving up a single, a walk, and hitting a batter to load the bases.

Thankfully, Manuel put aside feelings and made a baseball move, much like he did with fan favorite Jamie Moyer a month earlier.  He pulled him for Ryan Madson, who recorded the last two outs for the save.

In the past, it was believed that Manuel had stuck with Lidge through the wild pitches, base hits, blown saves and the walks to keep his confidence up. As was seen in Houston, Lidge can often times lack the ability to forget, a trait needed to be an effective pitcher, especially in the closer role.

And with Brett Myers back in the bullpen (where he had hoped to be at the beginning of the 2008 season) and throwing relatively well, it looks as if Lidge may have pitched his way out of the ninth inning and into middle relief.

Will Brad Lidge be summoned in the ninth the next time the Phillies have a save situation? I’d guess yes, but should he repeat his Tuesday night performance that won’t be the case the next time.

It’ll be Brett Myers making the run from the bullpen. 

 

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