Posted: Thursday, September 24, 2009, 7:00 PM | 26 comments |
 

Bullpen changes coming?
options
 

Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson and injuries have turned late-inning relief into the Phillies primary concern. Before tonight's game, manager Charlie Manuel offered cryptic answers when asked how he would handle potential save situations.

He began by repeating the message delivered after Lidge suffered his 11th blown save Wednesday night in Miami, that Lidge and Madson remain the most capable pitchers to succeed in their roles.

 
“Both of those guys, they are our talented guys, as far as stuff-wise and experience-wise. That’s kind of making it tough.”
 
He then appeared to hint that he was considering changes. “But at the same time, we’ve got to do something to try and win games,” Manuel said.
 
An interesting moment came when the manager was asked if he would consider Tyler Walker. Walker has 34 career saves, 25 of which came in 2005, when he was the closer for the San Francisco Giants. 
 
Walker has pitched well as a Phillie as a middle reliever this season.  He lacks a dominant pitch such as Lidge’s slider when effective, or Ryan Madson’s change-up, but he would have a chance to be serviceable. Walker is no one’s idea of an ideal playoff closer, but he may be less risky than the 2009 version of Lidge.
 
Would Manuel consider the righthhander?
 
“He’s done a good job for us in the role that he’s at,” Manuel said, before slowing considerably and appearing to choose his words judiciously. “But I’ll…we’ll do…We’ll do whatever it takes to win a game. That might give you guys something to write about.”
 
That last comment came with a mischievous smile. Am I saying that Walker will get a shot? Not at all. I’m just saying that Manuel’s answer was interesting.
 
He continued: “I’m going to do what I have to do. We’ll see. Whatever I want to do, we’ll do that. And we’ve got to win some games.”
 
Earlier this month, when Lidge failed in a save opportunity in Houston, Manuel appeared to have many interesting options to replace his troubled closer if necessary. Now, injuries have eliminated or severely delayed most of the possibilities. Brett Myers, Chan Ho Park and J.C Romero are all rehabbing.
 
Starters J.A. Happ and Pedro Martinez could also theoretically be considered, though those suggestions were more realistic when both pitchers were healthy. Happ missed two starts with a muscle strain in his side and left a third after three innings, and Martinez is questionable for Saturday’s start with a strained neck.
           
This much I know: If a save situation arises tonight, it will be interesting to see what Manuel does. 

***

Carlos Ruiz has a cortisone injection in his left wrist today, and is headed to Milwaukee.  He will be unavailable for several days.

***

Talked to Chad Durbin about healing from a lat strain, which Myers is trying to do.  Durbin said that the issue affected the movement on his pitches.  "Sink and cut and break--everything was dull," he said.

The good news was that Durbin completely healed in 21 days.  If Myers returns, say, Friday (a reasonable projection given his scheduled bullpen session Tuesday), he will have been out 17 days.  So maybe he can still contribute.

If he and J.C. Romero and Chan Ho Park return, the Phils will have interesting decisions regarding hobbled pitchers and the playoff roster.

"I don't think anyone in our bullpen necessarily deserves to be a slam dunk," to make the roster, Ruben Amaro said.

***

 
Posted by Andy Martino @ 7:00 PM  Permalink | 26 comments
26
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:08 PM, 09/24/2009
    Thanks for the update Andy. I have a feeling it'll be Lidge closing in the playoffs and that he'll just be good enough to squeak by.
    — benjyedwards
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:18 PM, 09/24/2009
    Actually, what I meant to say was let's see how our genious of a pitching coach figures this one out.
    — benjyedwards
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:19 PM, 09/24/2009
    watching and listening to games around the country on MLB (and getting the oposition's announcers), I can tell you NO ONE is afraid of the Phils going into the playoffs. Last night, the Marlins' announcers on Fox were absolutley giddy that they were within 1 run and seeing Lidge warm up for the ninth. They could smell the win coming. The pen doesn't have ANY reliable pitchers right now. Not one. So hope for 8 strong from the starters and get a 3 run lead.
    — scootch
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:28 PM, 09/24/2009
    Lidge is trash!
    — eaglebeef
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:30 PM, 09/24/2009
    Any comments about the bullpen being the pitching coach's fault are ridiculous. Lidge's problems aren't Manuel, Dubee or Amaro's fault. They're his. He gets $12.5 million to close games, he needs to step up and earn his paycheck.
    — KMG
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:56 PM, 09/24/2009
    The difference between this year and last year can be summed up by the letter "o." Last year it was: "Oh Good, Lidge is coming in the game." This year, it is: "Oh God, Lidge is coming in the game."
    — scottash
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:57 PM, 09/24/2009
    Andy - I have the solution to this problem. First, why do we fall into this thinking that a "closer" has to get three outs? So here's what I would do if I were Charlie. Madsen for 1 1/3 inning, any combination of Walker et al (driven by situation, batter, success against a hitter, etc) for out nubmer 2, then if you are feeling really lucky Lidge for out 3. He can get 1 or 2 outs, he just cant get three, even when he is ahead in the count. Let's be serious, even if we do make the playoffs and dont collapse, our chances of winning are not good given the bullpen situation. It's time to face reality...UNLESS CHARLIE FOLLOWS MY PLAN!
    — CCWestPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:04 PM, 09/24/2009
    Why is it so easy to overlook his great year when he won us a world series but you cant over look 1 bad year he's having with us? Why would you trade Lidge? As fast as Lidge went from great to bad how do you know he cant go from bad back to great again? He did it before? I dont know if you guys have short memories or don't follow baseball much but the same thing happened to him in Houston and what happened after that? He was only traded then pitched a perfect year and won a world series for his team. Does anyone remember that or is everyones memory so short? Next year is a new year and we should see how he does at the start of next year before making any ridiculous decisions. You dont dump a guy for 1 bad year. Last year he was perfect and won us a world series so I'd say his good year outweighs his bad year.
    — philliekev04
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:24 PM, 09/24/2009
    The time may have come to do something else, for the sake of the rest of the team and the fans. But the venom from some quarters here is totally misplaced and inappropriate. This man, realistically, was the MVP of the team last year. He was the single most important reason they won a world series, and broke a quarter century of sporting misery and failure in this town. (Think about it...if in February of 2008, someone had said Brad Lidge would only blow a measly two saves in the upcoming season...you'd have been thrilled, right? But if it played out that way...they'd have failed to make the playoffs and we'd be on year 26 of misery...and counting...instead, he was PERFECT...and the image of him falling to his knees last October will still make me smile many decades from now...) For that, I can NEVER boo Brad Lidge, and I feel nothing but sadness for this evidently classy man who has just lost that "something". Maybe he'll get it back sometime. It appears as if the time has come to decide that "sometime" will be no sooner than next spring. But why anyone would call him "trash" or feel anything but sorry for this man is beyond me. Might be time to move in a different direction, but let's thank him as we do...GO PHILS!
    — mewilkin
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:24 PM, 09/24/2009
    The time may have come to do something else, for the sake of the rest of the team and the fans. But the venom from some quarters here is totally misplaced and inappropriate. This man, realistically, was the MVP of the team last year. He was the single most important reason they won a world series, and broke a quarter century of sporting misery and failure in this town. (Think about it...if in February of 2008, someone had said Brad Lidge would only blow a measly two saves in the upcoming season...you'd have been thrilled, right? But if it played out that way...they'd have failed to make the playoffs and we'd be on year 26 of misery...and counting...instead, he was PERFECT...and the image of him falling to his knees last October will still make me smile many decades from now...) For that, I can NEVER boo Brad Lidge, and I feel nothing but sadness for this evidently classy man who has just lost that "something". Maybe he'll get it back sometime. It appears as if the time has come to decide that "sometime" will be no sooner than next spring. But why anyone would call him "trash" or feel anything but sorry for this man is beyond me. Might be time to move in a different direction, but let's thank him as we do...GO PHILS!
    — mewilkin
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:32 PM, 09/24/2009
    You all are fair weather fans. Last year our 25 years ended thanks to lights out lidge. How can u give up on a guy that went perfect last season. Bring on the postseason.
    — dreagle
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:08 PM, 09/24/2009
    It has nothing to do with loyalty. Loyalty is you keep Lidge on the roster--at the far end of the bullpen--and give him a shot in blowouts and see if he can get it together--a 7+ ERA as a reliever??? If a hitter was hitting .170--all year long--would there be any question what to do with him?
    — Jim C.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:26 PM, 09/24/2009
    Well now we know that going into the 8th inning with a 1 to 4 run lead isn't a sure thing, looks like 7 is what they need.
    — atp2007
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:28 PM, 09/24/2009
    I loved Lidge last year, but he doesn't have it this year. Shut him down till spring. I like the idea of Happ as playoff closer. He had a lot of strikeouts against a good lineup tonight. Hamels, Lee, Blanton, and Pedro are the playoff starters and Happ the closer.
    — b-house


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