Concern for Lidge?
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Concern for Lidge?
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
We should have a better idea soon on whether Brad Lidge's elbow soreness is really as minor as he said it is Tuesday. The Phillies closer said he will play catch Wednesday to test the arm.
Of course, there is some pause when Lidge talks about his elbow. He had off-season surgery on it. He has made two trips to the disabled list with inflammation resulting from the surgery. He has had two cortisone shots to liven the area up this season.
"It is different from what I had before," Lidge said Tuesday. "But instead of trying to throw through the pain and maybe make it worse, we decided I should take two nights off. It really is minor."
That instantly made me think of earlier this season, when Lidge effectively said the same exact thing in Denver. In fact, I went back to find the story from May 12. Lidge went on the DL four days later.
DENVER -- Brad Lidge has always been an optimist when it comes to any injury. He has pitched (sometimes unsuccessfully) through his share of ailments. And rarely does he admit anything is wrong.
Lidge was not available to close for the Phillies Monday night after he began feeling some stiffness in his right arm a few days ago. Manager Charlie Manuel would only go as far as to say he was trying to stay away from Lidge.
A few hours before Tuesday's game with the Colorado Rockies was rained out, Lidge said he was not concerned.
"It's fine," he said. "I just had a little stiffness, and we wanted to be cautionary."
A few minutes later, Lidge walked outside to the cold Colorado air and played catch with Chad Durbin. He didn't appear to exert his arm much.
Upon returning to the clubhouse, Lidge was asked how it went. He was visibly discouraged.
"It didn't really feel like I wanted it to," he said.
Those are scary words for a Phillies team that is already shorthanded in the bullpen with Ryan Madson (broken toe) on the 60-day disabled list.
Assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said the team planned to wait and see on Lidge's progress.
In four games since returning from the disabled list on April 30, Lidge has allowed one run in 3 1/3 innings.
"It's something to monitor day-to-day, and see how he feels," Proefrock said. "Remember, he's only made four appearances since he's been back. None of this is ever going to be a straight-line progression."
But do the Phillies need to make a move to replace Lidge's arm since it may not be ready to go on any given day?
"I don't think it's at that point," Proefrock said. "If it gets to that point, then we can explore that. Right now, it's just something we're monitoring day-to-day."
Should I just copy and paste?
Amazing! Let's hope the Phils can jump out to some big leads and Lidge can shut it down for a couple of games.— frankenslade- Should you just copy and paste? Like Gonzo does and tries to pass off as an article?— runtheballAndy
So, is this a door opening for Scott Mathieson?— 1980
Comment removed.- Can somebody get rid of Romero? Is it me or does this man stink in every outing. Complete waste of time!— cemego
I think the comment sections should be closed down they have gotten so ruthless and negative. Most don't know the difference between a blog and an article. ballsandy, do you not realize the entire point of this blog was to point out that even though Lidge is claiming that it's no big deal, there is evidence from just this year (and other times as well) that show him saying exactly the same type of stuff despite being very hurt. I, for one, have noticed that his fast ball has gone from 94-95 all year to 89-91 in the last week and was wondering what was wrong. This is not good. Hopefully some rest and maybe one last injection gets him one 5-6 more weeks.- Mathieson, anyone?— Philalawyer
Romero is not the same Romero since MLB made him stop buying GNC nutrition products.— RAS- Mathieson is not the closer. He's a good AAA closer, but you don't throw a guy into the fire like that unless you run out of other options. If they thought he was that good, he'd have been in the show replacing the unfortunate contract of Mr. Baez. There's a reason they've had him working on a splitter - it's because his stuff isn't good enough to count on versus the better hitters in the game, many of which the team will be playing down the stretch and into the playoffs. Madson first, then I'd also take Durbin, Contreras, Romero. Probably in that order, though I suspect the Phils would prefer to keep Durbin around for multi-inning jobs since he's really the only tested option there. Then likely Mathieson ahead of Herndon, Bastardo, Baez, (duh) and the other minor leaguers.— B in DC
- Cortisone doesn't just liven up the area. It masks the pain in the joint which happens for a reason. Something is very wrong. While playing through the pain is ok in a lot of sports baseball it is a liability because it changes the way your perform. ALSO Lidge throws too many sliders which have a reputation for causing the very problem he describes. When he uses the fast ball and moves it around then mixes in the two different sliders he is more effective. Looks like the Phils are gonna ride this horse right into the ground and when the playoffs come they will be back to closing by committee. Something that Charlie is not very good at. So if we make it to the playoffs, it will be extremely challenging for the team because of the lack of a real closer. I have been screaming for them to get someone durable and capable to fill that role for 2 yrs now. Maybe next year after they fail once more.— Wally 24
- Matthieson did a great job this year building back from the arm surgeries he had, my only concern with him would not be his stuff, but the miles he can log this year being his first full season back. Overall, the bats are going to need to stay re-awakened for the duration of the season to win out, along with the starting pitching by Doc, Roy and Hollywood staying on top of their game.— Bleue
- I've been wondering what's going on. He's been around 89 - 91 with his fastball and in '08 it seemed like he was 94 - 95.— 46 and 2
- runtheballAndy---LOL---how original you midget minded dolt---both your comment and your logon id are as pedestrian as your wife— will_wonders_never_cease
- Lidge is finally pitching well and now this has to happen. They'll be in trouble if he's out for any extended period. Romero is sucking the place up right now and you never know what you'll get from Contreras. Madson's arm will fall off from overuse at this rate.— SteveS11
- Mathieson's FB is a straight rope right now and eventually, sometimes very quickly, MLB hitters will tear it up. He has done well to get this far. The coaching staff would have to be extremely confident that he's imrpoved enough since his last callup, to rely on him— Bob1
