Phillies Nation

Are we even sure that this is Charlie’s decision to make? Maybe Rub is calling the shots as far as replacing Lidge as closer? I have been trying to remain positive regarding the RISP because I do think their hitting will inevitably come around, but now it is time to do something about Lidge. I can’t fathom that they will let this continue into the post season, it’s basically throwing in the towel, which I don’t see them doing.

Ya know, with all the blown saves by Lidge this year, it made me wonder why he hasn’t been booed at CBP this year. So I did a little research and found an interesting stat.

Home [14 saves, 1 blown save]
Away [14 saves , 9 blown saves]

Lidge has not blown one at home since April 18th. So that explains why he has been given a pass at home. If the home and away records were reversed he would have been booed out of the stadium a month ago. It makes you wonder if he only can get pumped up at home.

So Charlie sticks with his guy, earns the respect of Brad Lidge but loses the respect of the other 24 guys on the team?

Charlie can say up and down that we have no other options but we do. Charlie has stuck with Lidge long enough. If he sticks with him through the playoffs and it costs the team then Charlie deserves to be fired. I like Charlie but when you have a problem like this, show its face early in the season and you do nothing about it and hope it goes away then you are not a manager. You are a dreamer.

This team is too good to let the actions of two men, Lidge and Charlie ruin their chances of repeated, or even winning the division. People act like getting to the playoffs is a guarentee…the Phillies have lost two games on the Marlins in two days, with 6 more against the Fish who knows what will happen. This team, the players deserve better than this.

I am tired of it, Lidge does not deserve the benefit of the doubt anymore.

Well stated MG. Couldn’t agree more.

The problem with Lidge is once again the Phils are mismanaging him, at the first sign of any improvement he is being put out there to be the traditional closer at a time he isn’t capable of being in that role. I heard Buster Olney when he was talking about Cole Hamels a week or so ago mention the Phils need to nurse Lidge down stretch and that hasn’t happened.

Someone mentioned during last nights game Charlie is poor at managing his pitchers citing leaving the starters in too long at times the momentum is swinging. To me Lidge is the easy example of how be it Charlie or for another reason why the pitching management is poor, the Phils coaches seem to ride the good and fester in the bad for fear that making small moves will backfire and unravel the thread.

Charlie needs to start managing outs not innings past the 7th in whatever form that may be if this team is going to win the tough games. Charlie’s a good manager, he needs to become great if this current Phils team is going to be remembered.

Georgie, you’re right. Myers IS “one of the biggest head cases on the team.” BUT…..he has that hard-to-explain kind of special mental makeup that closers absolutely need in order to succeed. It’s an attitude towards the hitter that says, “C’mon. Try to hit my stuff you f-ing a$$hole. I’ll bet you can’t.”THAT is what this team needs right now.

I have been willing to give Lidge all the benefit of the doubt all season. I am realistic enough to understand that he was bound to blow a save this year…or maybe even two…or five. Closers DO blow saves. But GOOD closers chalk it up to whatever and move on. Lidge was lucky last year. Plain and simple. The stars were aligned for him. Yeah, he has nasty stuff at times. And last year he had nasty stuff all the time and hitters were fooled. That’s over for a lot of the league. They have figured him out. And THAT has gotten to him. It’s eating at him and causing him to become extremely vulnerable. His fastball has velocity but no movement. He throws a lot of balls causing him to get behind in the count too often. By the time it’s a 3-1 count he has to throw a strike and hitters are all over it. If he constantly went 0-2 or 1-2 on hitters THEN he can go to the slider and have a better shot at fooling the batter.

The whole thing is a mess. I, like a lot of you, were very encouraged by Lidge’s last three outings. Tight games. Effective stuff. Three saves in a row. Even his last save against the Giants where he put two runners on wasn’t that bad. He had command. The hit to continue that inning on Thursday night was not hit hard and it just eluded Chase’s glove.

But now….I just don’t know anymore. I really think Myers was put into that game last night in that situation for a reason. Maybe it was an audition, a tryout of sorts. Even Wheels and TMac alluded to the fact that it was a real “eyebrow raiser” (Wheeler’s words) that Myers was in the game in THAT situation. OK. He wasn’t absolutely the most effective. But he did just fine and for a guy that hasn’t pitched in a major league game in almost 4 months and is coming off major surgery I was very impressed.

I think that if there’s a save situation today then Myers deserves a shot. Or, if not him, then Chan Ho Park. I absolutely don’t think you can expose Lidge anymore in this series. From now on his appearances need to be either one-out saves or non-save situations.

I still believe a change will be made if Lidge continues to stuggles and that Brett Myers is the one who will take over. The Phillies know that if Myers fails then they got nothing. He did good in rehab starts and are not seeing what he can do in the majors. Until he has proven that he is fully back and ready to close then of course Charlie will continue to support Lidge.

We have to keep in mind the situation with Moyer and Martinez. The team showed there that they are willing to make a switch if they have a capable replacement and if a starter is struggling. The same will apply to Lidge. They moment they believe Myers is fully ready then Lidge will get replaced.

guys– what is the philly media saying– this is crazy. you guys would have the best record in baseball if you had mariano rivera’s left arm closing. brett myers is a better choice…. seriously– as a guy who appreciates the phils from another town– this just looks laughable. let lidge ruin the confidence of the team into the playoffs? this jacked, great roster? not fare to other players and fans– throw the headcase into the mop up role and get him a shrink for next year