The former Milwaukee Brewer has six hits in 18 at-bats against Lidge. He has walked twice.

"Most of those hits came off fastballs," Jenkins quickly pointed out before last night's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

Jenkins mentioned that because Lidge's slider can be impossible to hit, which seems especially true this season. The Phillies closer entered last night with a 0.00 ERA and seven saves in seven opportunities. In 15 innings, he has allowed just two unearned runs, seven hits, and six walks. He has struck out 13. Opponents have hit just .135 against him.

Lidge has helped make the Phillies' bullpen one of the best in baseball. The Phils' relievers entered last night with a 2.79 ERA, which ranked second in the National League.

"First of all, he throws 95 to 97 m.p.h.," Jenkins said. "So when he spots that fastball, it sets up his slider. But when he's going good, he has the ability to throw his slider for a strike and not throw it for a strike. So a hitter, when he throws a 90-m.p.h. slider, it's hard to differentiate ball and strike. It's got real tight movement to it.

"On a 90-m.p.h. fastball, you have about three-tenths of a second to decide when to hit and which spot it's in. So a slider, it's even tougher. The fact that he can elevate with his fastball and go down with his slider makes him tough."

Lidge used to throw a fastball and curveball when he was in the Houston Astros' minor-league system, but the curveball caused discomfort in his elbow. So he switched to the slider at the request of Dewey Robinson, Houston's current pitching coach, who worked in the minor leagues at the time.

Good call.

"The first time I threw it in the bullpen, it felt great and it was moving pretty good," Lidge said. "[Robinson] said, 'That's going to be your pitch.' "

The 31-year-old righthander's slider is tough to hit for a few reasons: It has velocity. It has more depth to its break, rather than lateral movement like most sliders. It also breaks late.

And he can throw it for a strike.

"There's no discernible spin to it," catcher Chris Coste said. "A lot of sliders, even the really good ones, you can see the spin and it gives you a chance. But his comes in and it looks like a fastball and then it breaks late. So a lot of times, curveballs or sliders, right out of the hand, they're already doing something. It's like his gets halfway there and decides to do its thing. It's weird. It acts almost like a slider and a change-up all at once.

"I think that's why it's so tough to hit, because you don't pick it up until it's halfway there, and by that time it's usually too late."

So how does he do it?

"I kind of get over the top of it instead of around the side of it," Lidge said, referring to how the ball leaves his hand. "A lot of guys, when they throw a slider, they make a comma with their hand, whereas I try to get on top of it to get almost topspin."

When Lidge is pitching well, he has good command of his slider. He said this is the best it's ever been.

"I can put a little on, take a little off, throwing it in and out of the zone," Lidge said. "In 2006 [with the Astros] - my worst season, ask my teammates - I couldn't do anything except spike it straight into the ground. Then I had to come with a straight fastball and it got hit. I had to learn mechanically what I needed to do. Instead of just cranking away as hard as I can on my slider, which is what I had done prior to that point, I learned sometimes I have to take a little off to throw it for a strike."

It's working.

Lidge has been better than advertised. The November trade that brought him to Philadelphia from the Astros allowed the Phillies to return Brett Myers to the rotation - a two-for-one move the Phillies hope pays off.

Lidge pitched in four straight games recently, throwing 12, 14, 14 and five pitches in those appearances.

"He's a horse," pitching coach Rich Dubee said. "The one thing he's done is he's been very economical. When you look at 12, 14, 14 and five pitches, and you're getting three outs in crunch time, that's pitching at its best."

Looking at Lidge

Here is a glance at Phillies relief pitcher Brad Lidge:

2008 Statistics

(Through Monday.)

Record: 1-0

Innings pitched: 15

ERA: 0.00

Saves: 7 in 7 opportunities.

Hits: 7

Runs: 2

Walks: 6

Strikeouts: 13

Personal

Throws: Right

Age: 31

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 210 pounds

Born: Sacramento, Calif.

College: Notre Dame

Previous MLB team: He spent six seasons with Houston.

Read his blog at http://go.philly.com/phillieszone.