Amaro: Lidge is 'progressing'
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Amaro: Lidge is 'progressing'
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
HOUSTON -- Lots of questions from readers about Brad Lidge this morning. He was shelled in a rehab outing at Clearwater on Saturday when he couldn't finish an inning before allowing four runs. It was his first appearance in a game situation since receiving a cortisone shot March 30.
Today, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. would only issue a statement through a team PR official regarding Lidge.
"He's progressing with his arm strength," Amaro said in the statement. "He has no reported pain in his elbow."
That's all. Amaro would not make himself available for questions, so take it for what it's worth.
We haven't been given any indication as to what Lidge's velocity was like Saturday. He might not be doing it on purpose, but it certainly appears like Amaro is dodging the issue. Yeah, it was only one outing in a rehab game, but given Lidge's history with concealing injury and the fact that he's already had a cortisone shot...well it's just about time to start wondering what's really going on.
Lidge will pitch in another rehab outing Monday for Clearwater. Lefthander J.C. Romero, who hasn't allowed a run in two rehab outings, will pitch again Tuesday in a rehab game.
Comments (29)
Despite all the medical expertise professed on this board, no one knows how Lidge will shake out and what his future looks like. Typically, you have the outburst of fans who are impatient despite the fact that the Phils are cruising without him and could realistically go until June if need be without Lidge in the closer role. You have a certain kind of mentality that you need for someone handling the ninth inning chores on a day-to-day basis. I don't believe Madson has it but the team can gete by with him for now. What has changed is that the Phils' bats have changed the complexion of the games. In the six games so far, the only nail-biting situation where you would have perhaps broken in your closer was today and that turned out pretty well with Roy acting as his own closer. There really is no cause for anxiety -- the Phils don't look like a ateam where any closer would get 30 saves in the best of cases this year so be content that Lidge is being brought along slowly. Be thankful the Phils are not like the Dodgers, Reds or O's, teams that are getting hurt for lack of reliable closing. We aren't them.— Claudio Vernight- It is odd that Rod Bar. is doing a better job than Schinde! That kid during Spring T, the catcher who hit a HR before they sent him down, could do as well. So far our NO. 2 catcher just strikes out. Period. As to Figgy. Give him a chance. After all, the Relief Staff so far looks good without both Lidge and Romero, so if one comes back, someone has to go and it will not be Herndon.— KGKoons
- CLIFF LEE agrees with Mark1....— stan the man too
- Mark you are right!!! Lidge needs to develop one or two new pitches while he is down there... He will never be the same and I dont want to see a repeat of last year— nixman101
- Lidge is gonna cost the Phillies 5 or 6 wins as management allows him to try and come back. He is done. His career is over.— michaelfb68
Comment removed.- Agree, Eilex, Pedro was the right choice. I wasn't aware that half the team was battling colds and flu including Pedro, but now it makes sense. Leaving the brutal Colo. weather [temps in upper teens to low twenties with snow] for 80 degree LA will do that.— dadtown
- Comment removed.
- We're in a better position than last year, with Baez and Madson another year older. Hey, Lidge got us a championship. Love him for that. But it may be the end of the line for him here in Philly.— eman
- Why don't we reserve judgment until Lidge comes back. With the hitting the Phillies have, there is no reason to rush him back. They have options for the closer's role right now. Madson has the stuff, he just needs the mentality, and his experience last year and early this year will help. I would be shocked if Manuel and Dubee threw Lidge into games this year if they didn't feel he could perform. Forget last year. Here's hoping Brad comes back at 80% of his ability in 2008, and we would still have a pretty good closer. If he doesn't, look for Heath Bell to become a Phillie at the trade deadline.Minnesota has lost one of the best closers in the game this year, and you don't hear that they are panicking.— OBLawyer
- Mark1npt...how do you know they cannot repair his knee? Perhaps modern medicine can do more than you think. And why won't his velocity be back? He had his velocity all of last year. It wasn't that he wasn't throwing hard enough...it was that he wasn't locating or commanding that velocity well enough, and I fully believe it was because his knee was bothering him all year and thereby affecting his mechanics (which in turn hurt his elbow). Hopefully his knee is stronger, his elbow is stronger and the results are somewhere between '08 & '09. How many fair-weather fans do we have on this board. Lidge was a god in 2008 and now everyone wants him out. Give him a shot. Everyone thought he was done after the Pujolz homer too. Besides...what would you rather have? A closer who blows 2 saves a year, keeps his ERA around 3.00, and doesn't cause much trouble and your team fails to make the playoffs, or Lidge blowing 15 saves, an ERA of 10.50, Manual refusing to change, and the team still goes to the world series and this time Hamels shows up and they beat the Yankees despite all the troubles? What I'm saying is that last year pretty much anything that could go wrong did go wrong and they were still within taking a 2-1 series lead over the Yankees when Hamels blew it up. Not Lidge, not Manual, not the Bullpen...boy wonder Hamels. He needs to grow up and hopefully he did/does...— Eilex826
- yo, Mark - I appreciate your medical knowledge and respect your opinion but what is Lidge's "needed arm velocity"? If you're talking the speed of his fastball, what does it "need" to be? He has a slider that makes hitters look silly and what he lacked last year was fastball location more than fastball velocity. I think he can still be successful with low 90's fastball located well and his signature slider. I also think he'll be back to mid 90's velocity but wanted to clear up the "needed" part.— vafan
- I can't believe people are complaining about our backup catcher, who by the way is a very good one. People who think a back up catcher is going to be a good hitter don't know the game. He would not be a back up he would be starting. He is a whole lot better then what we had last year.Bako called a good game but defensively he was shot. Brian is pretty darn good behind the plate— pattymac3
- Didn't Schneider have a couple walks? Also, he got rung up twice and both were on questionable strikes. Schneider got in the umps face pretty good on the first one and the second time the pitch was clearly out of the strike zone. Schneider just shook his head and looked back as he walked to the dugout. Lastly, I appreciate stupid people as they make me look so much smarter.— vafan
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The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
Matt Gelb
Inquirer Staff Writer
Bob Brookover
Inquirer Baseball Columnist
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