Brad Lidge found a new way to blow a save

I've seen many blown saves in my day.
And many of them have been by Brad Lidge... but tonight's was a doozy, even by his breath taking standards.

The Phillies can beat the Padres and gain a game on the Giants and pick up a game on Atlanta. Oswalt was on fire... so naturally the ball was handed to Lidge.

And the inning went as expected... lead off single, runners moved up...

Then came the back to back whammies.
With 2 outs and a 1 run lead in the bottom of the 9th and an 0-2 count he HIT Ryan Ludwick to load the bases.

That's awful. But I saw Calvin Schraldi hit Brian Downing with an 0-2 pitch with the bases loaded and a 1 run lead in the bottom of the 9th to tie a PLAYOFF game in 1986.

So Brad Lidge would have to raise his game to impress me with a blown save tonight.

Ohh he was up to the task.
With the bases loaded, a 1 run lead, 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th and an 0-2 count to Chase Headley... HE BALKS IN THE TYING RUN!

I've never seen that in a game between two playoff contenders.

Literally saying "We're going to win the game... eh, let's keep playing."

So with a day game after a night game, the Phillies have to go deep into their pen in an extra innings game and the wonderful pitching duel between Roy Oswalt and Mat Latos is in the garbage.

All because Brad Lidge BALKED in the tying run.




Oh man... Brad Lidge's deal with Satan is getting worse and worse.

Brad Lidge found a new way to blow a save

I've seen many blown saves in my day.
And many of them have been by Brad Lidge... but tonight's was a doozy, even by his breath taking standards.

The Phillies can beat the Padres and gain a game on the Giants and pick up a game on Atlanta. Oswalt was on fire... so naturally the ball was handed to Lidge.

And the inning went as expected... lead off single, runners moved up...

Then came the back to back whammies.
With 2 outs and a 1 run lead in the bottom of the 9th and an 0-2 count he HIT Ryan Ludwick to load the bases.

That's awful. But I saw Calvin Schraldi hit Brian Downing with an 0-2 pitch with the bases loaded and a 1 run lead in the bottom of the 9th to tie a PLAYOFF game in 1986.

So Brad Lidge would have to raise his game to impress me with a blown save tonight.

Ohh he was up to the task.
With the bases loaded, a 1 run lead, 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th and an 0-2 count to Chase Headley... HE BALKS IN THE TYING RUN!

I've never seen that in a game between two playoff contenders.

Literally saying "We're going to win the game... eh, let's keep playing."

So with a day game after a night game, the Phillies have to go deep into their pen in an extra innings game and the wonderful pitching duel between Roy Oswalt and Mat Latos is in the garbage.

All because Brad Lidge BALKED in the tying run.




Oh man... Brad Lidge's deal with Satan is getting worse and worse.

Brad Lidge saved TWO GAMES? I'm as surprised as anyone

Come on admit it... you thought Brad Lidge was going to blow ONE of these games.

Do you who else had some doubts?

Charlie Manuel!

Did you notice in this wild, incredible, take a longer route home Game 4 that had a pair of 3 run rallies between the bottom of the 8th and top of the 9th, when it came to slamming the door for the series, Manuel DIDN'T initally turn to Lidge.

He brought in Scott Eyre for the save.

Eyre has 4 saves... total... in a 13 year career.

Since 2004 he has a grand total of zero saves.

And last night he had to be removed after rolling on his ankle.

That's right, Charlie Manuel brought in a guy who averages .25 saves a season on one foot to close out a playoff series.

But give Lidge credit, he closed it out.

Who knows, maybe this was part of his deal with man downstairs.

Lidge is out as closer?

Oh no!

Was there a problem?

I mean anyone can have a bad string of games... for 5 and a half months.

Good call Charlie. Now the Phillies have a legit shot of repeating.

And maybe the Devil can have time to collect.

This Brad Lidge Thing Is Getting To Be Grotesque

Another day and another blown save for Brad Lidge.

I am always a little grateful when he blows a save because that means inevitably someone will read my Devil and Brad Lidge post... but this is now officially insane.

He now has 10 blown saves... and an 0-7 record.

His ERA is 7.15... and when I wrote the Devil and Brad Lidge post in early June it was 7.27.

In other words HE HAS BEEN CONSISTENT! 

Consistently terrible!

The Phillies are in no danger of blowing this lead. They are going to win their third straight division crown.

But as certain as I am that the sun will rise tomorrow, I am equally certain that if Brad Lidge pitches in the post season he will blow a game.

I don't want to hear "He's the only one with experience" or "He needs to build his confidence."

To hell with his confidence. The Phillies have a World Series title to defend and they are better off handing the ball to the Phillie Phanatic to close games at this point.

At least the Phanatic would do a funny fall when he loses the game!

Hey Charlie Manuel... I don't think the Lidge thing is a fluke

It's not a bad streak...
It's not a fluke hit or two...

Brad Lidge is having one of those horrific seasons that can not be underestimated!

Let's recap his line from last night:

No innings pitched... three batters faced.... three hits... three earned runs... one walk off homer.

And he did it against the Pirates. The POST TRADE DEADLINE Pirates.

Luis Cruz and his whopping 32 career games led off with a hit.

Career minor leaguer Brandon Moss followed with a hit.

Andrew McCutchen, the rookie in his 70th game, hit the walk off. 

It's one thing when Tazawa lets up a walk off to A-Rod.

It's another thing when a World Series veteran gets schooled by rookies and quadruple A players.

His record is 0-6.

He has blown 9 saves.

His ERA is 7.33.

This isn't an April 7.33 ERA where you can blame it on one shellacking! This is a "Holy Crap! We may need to fake an injury soon!" situation.

Let me put it this way... let's say he throws 20 more innings this year.

And let's say he throws 20 scoreless innings to end the season. 

His ERA would STILL be 5.13, unforgivably high for a closer!

The Phillies are going to make the post season... and if Cole Hamels pitches well, they could have a solid shot to repeat.

Which is why there is NO WAY Charlie Manuel can use him as a closer in the playoffs.

None. Zilch. 

Now I heard on XM Home Plate this morning Seth Everett talking about "Well, who do the Phillies have in their bullpen who can close?"

Didn't I hear that same insane logic when the Giants were dragging Armando Benitez's fat butt to the mound night after night?

How could having Ryan Madson throw the 9th inning be worse? Lidge is literally letting up 7 runs for every 9 innings he pitches. If he is constantly brought into 1 run games, he would on average let the other team tie the game 7 out of 9 times.

Can Ryan Madson do better?

Hell, I think Ryan O'Neal could do better!

Did the Cardinals know what they had when Adam Wainwright was suddenly thrust into the closers role?

Or last year when Joe Torre decided to use Jonathan Broxton instead of Saito in the late innings?

There's talk about having Brett Myers, who has been out with a torn labrum since May, taking over the closer's role in the playoffs.

If that isn't a red flag I don't know what one is.

Seriously... I know just a year ago he was on the bottom of a pile celebrating the World Series. But that was the past. The Red Sox stayed with Keith Foulke a little too long in 2005 and it cost them the division title in the end. 

They tried Curt Schilling and Mike Timlin in the closer role, all the while not being sure what to do with this young whipper snapper named Papelbon.

Have Madson close games NOW! Have him get used to the roll. Right now the Phillies have a 7 game cushion. 

When the playoffs come around, the standings are thrown out the window and Lidge is bound to let one slip away.

Charlie Manuel was asked about this situation on MLB This Morning on XM. His answer was so evasive and round about, I am convinced he was coached by Sarah Palin.

The Devil and Brad Lidge

I have a theory. Brad Lidge made a deal with Satan.

I have no proof of this, but I think I am correct. Bear with me.

Brad Lidge just blew his second save in as many games and sixth game of the year after not blowing a single game in 2008 throughout the regular season all the way through the end of the World Series.

He’s got a 7.27 ERA and the once Lights Out Lidge now makes Philadelphia fans nervous as if Mitch Williams was pitching to Joe Carter.

What happened?

We shouldn’t look to 2009 for answers but instead look to 2005.

The shadow of the Pujols homer has followed him. I am convinced he couldn’t order dinner at a restaurant without being reminded of it.

“And the veal parmesan goes to the guy who let up the Pujols homer.”

At that point he was going the inevitable scrap heap of closers who flamed out.

Remember Billy Koch? Remember how fast Keith Foulke collapsed?
Remember how Mark Davis went from a Cy Young winner to the waiver wire?

At that point, I believe the dark lord known as Satan (pictured on the left) struck a deal with Lidge.

SATAN:
Look, how would you like a legacy other than serving up Pujols homer and single handedly destroying the Astros only chance in the World Series after letting up the Podsednik homer in Game 2 and the World Series clinching run in Game 4?

LIDGE:

What do YOU think?

SATAN:

Seriously... Albert Pujols teeing off of you is one thing. SCOTT PODSEDNIK? He hit as many homers as Nancy Reagan that year! And you let him launch a walk off shot in the World Series?

LIDGE:

Enough.

SATAN:

I can help you. You'll be a World Series hero when I am done!

LIDGE:
Are you kidding me? That would be great! Winning a World Series in Houston would make everything better.

SATAN:
Nahh. Not Houston. It’s not a baseball town. You need to do it for a fan base that would REALLY appreciate it.

LIDGE:
THE CUBS!

SATAN:
(Laughing) Oh please. The Cubs? Do you know how many more souls I can collect if I let the Billy Goat Curse stretch over 100 years? Nah… can’t kill the Golden Goose.

LIDGE:
What about the Giants?

SATAN:
No way. Even I can’t fix their lineup.

LIDGE:
The Red Sox?

SATAN:
I’m sick of Boston. After all I did for Boston fans this decade I don’t owe them a God Damn thing! In fact I have a cruel trick in store for them. Watch the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl and you’ll see my handiwork.

LIDGE:
How about the Indians?

SATAN:
Lidge… let me tell you something. I’ve tried with Cleveland. I thought I had the 1997 World Series wrapped up for them. But there is a force more powerful than me.

LIDGE:
You mean God?

SATAN:
No. The bad karma in Cleveland. It’s bigger than God and me combined. I’m just washing my hands with that city.

LIDGE:
What about Pittsburgh?

SATAN:
Nah. Pittsburgh fans would trade in 10 Pirates World Series titles for one playoff with for the Steelers.

LIDGE:
I could go to the Yankees.

SATAN:
Lidge, here's a little tip from your pal Satan. If you want to win a ring, make sure one of your teammates isn't Alex Rodriguez. I signed him to a contract that even Scott Boros can't opt out of! By the way, did you like what I did with Joba and the midges in the playoffs?

LIDGE:
What about the Mets?

SATAN:
Nah… I’m having too much fun f---ing with their fans.

LIDGE:
How about Philadelphia?

Satan scratches his chin.

SATAN:
That’s an interesting idea. Philadelphia fans are hungry for a title. It’s a Northeastern team so they have some deeply rooted loyalty. And I bet I can arrange to help you AND to torment Mets fans, Cubs fans and punish Tampa Bay for taking “Devil” out of their name.

LIDGE:
Sounds good to me.

SATAN:
OK. Philly it is. For one year you will be perfect. And I mean perfect. You won’t blow a lead all year. The only loss you’ll have all year will be in the All Star Game, and that ironically will allow you to clinch the World Series at home. You will be mobbed and loved by Phillies fans. And for all time you will be the closer for the first Philadelphia champion in a quarter of a century.

LIDGE:
That’s awesome!

SATAN:
And the next year it will be all over and you will reach a new level of suck that you didn’t achieve on your worst days in Houston.

LIDGE:
Oooo.

SATAN:
And I will be the possessor of your eternal soul and when you die you will experience a torment that even Milton couldn’t imagine!

LIDGE:
Eric Milton?

SATAN:
Never mind. Your body will burn. Your insides will be ripped from your body. You will spend an eternity screaming into a void for mercy and realize it will never come. And with each scream you will learn the value of life and have the sorrow that your life and soul was squandered and you choke on your own blood.

LIDGE:
But do I get a World Series ring?

SATAN:
Yup.

LIDGE:
Where do I sign?

The Devil is possessing the Rays

Remember how the Rays had shed the Devil from their name and suddenly became great contenders?

It seems like whenever they play the Red Sox, Tampa Bay looks like the most talented young team in the league.

Well, it looks like the Devil is back!

30% of the way through the season and the Rays are only a game ahead out of the basement.

It's early, but it isn't THAT early.

And let's take this series against the Indians... PLEASE!

If you are a team that has playoff aspirations (and I would assume the Defending American League Champs would fall into this category!!) how do you climb out of a sub .500 hole?

The best way is to beat up the bad teams.

You know, like the Indians, who were the worst team in the American League when Tampa wandered in.

And here's another tip... when you take a 10-0 lead in a game, try to hold it.

And if you should shockingly cough up a 10-0 lead and end the game with a ninth inning that featured 5 walks and 7 runs, make sure you don't cough up another big lead...

Like yesterday when the Rays took a 5 run lead in the first and lost 12-7.

It's not THAT early and if the Rays want to get back into the race, they can no longer lose games that look like laughers for them!

Unless they really ARE the Devil Rays again!