Lidge, Phils save the worst for last

NEW YORK - In the gloom of a loser's clubhouse, especially after a defeat as gut-wrenching as the one the Phillies experienced yesterday in a taut game against the New York Yankees, any sense of satisfaction comes hard.

Yet once the Phillies put the 5-4 loss at Yankee Stadium behind them, a loss that came when Brad Lidge coughed up a 4-2 lead in the ninth inning after his team had done just about everything right, they will realize they might have become stronger for the long haul.

Lefthander J.A. Happ gave the rotation a needed boost by pitching six crisp innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out four and not walking a batter in his first start of the season.

Afterward, manager Charlie Manuel said Happ, who lost his bid to become the fifth starter to Chan Ho Park during spring training, will remain in the rotation.

"I'm definitely pleased," said Happ, who threw 75 pitches, 50 for strikes. "From the get-go, I was hoping to give four or five solid innings and keep the pitch count down by throwing strikes and letting them put the ball in play. I went six, so I'm definitely happy with it. I'll try to build on this."

Another Phillies need is righthanded power. Whether or not John Mayberry Jr. is the answer remains to be seen, of course, but the 25-year-old certainly made a dramatic first impression in his major-league debut.

Mayberry, who played right field, lashed an Andy Pettitte pitch over the left-field fence with two on to give the Phils a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning. The homer was his first hit in the majors, and he now can share a bit of trivia with his father. John Mayberry, who hit 255 homers before retiring in 1982, hit his final one at the old Yankee Stadium.

"It was incredibly exciting," said Mayberry, whose father and mother, Janice, attended the game. "It's more than I ever imagined. I heard my name called, and it was a special time."

Mayberry was called up from triple-A Lehigh Valley to give the Phils some righthanded pop against Yankees lefthanders Pettitte and CC Sabathia, today's starter. The question now is whether the Phillies prefer to have him play every day at Lehigh Valley or keep him.

"He's got talent. He's got ability," Manuel said.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, there was nothing Mayberry could do to prevent the opposite-field homer Alex Rodriguez hit off Lidge to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth. After A-Rod's homer, Robinson Cano singled and stole second, and scored the winning run on Melky Cabrera's single to right-center.

It was the third blown save for Lidge, three more than last season. Lidge appeared to be recovering from a terrible start by converting saves in his previous three appearances, but even several of his saves have been high-wire acts.

Manuel said he will continue to call on Lidge in save situations, adding that his stuff is good but his location is off.

Lidge seemed as upset with his leadoff walk to Damon as he was with A-Rod's homer. He said he would consider pitching out of the stretch with no one on base.

"Obviously, I don't feel happy with the way I threw," he said. "I didn't like the way the ball was coming out of my hand. I made a mistake to A-Rod, and the leadoff walk was what really frustrated me. I need to make an adjustment, because my location right now is not good enough. Giving up leadoff walks hurt me and my team, and that's the biggest adjustment I have to make."

See a photo gallery from

last night's game at http://go.philly.com/sports.

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