Phillies defeat Brewers, 6-5

MILWAUKEE - Rolled-up sheets of plastic hung above the Phillies' lockers in Miller Park when the team arrived Thursday. Brewers staffers, wanting to protect the visitors' clubhouse from beer and champagne, assumed they would host a clinching party.

But the plastic never unfurled, and was gone by Saturday, when it had become clear that the Phils' issues would slow their celebration. After salvaging a four-game-series split against Milwaukee with a 6-5 win yesterday at Miller Park, the Phils ended a 10-game road trip close to sealing the National League East, but still awaiting answers to many important questions.

Ryan Madson earned an important four-out save, rescuing a game that the Phils had led by 6-1. The Atlanta Braves won in Washington, and the Phils' magic number for clinching their division is three.

The 5-5 trip was not easy for manager Charlie Manuel. "As bad as we played, we played .500, didn't we?" he said. "Bad as we played, is that accepted? It will have to be, I guess."

The three-city tour began Sept. 18 in Atlanta, with a strong series against the second-place Braves. Despite alarming injuries to J.A. Happ, Pedro Martinez, and Carlos Ruiz that weekend, the Phils produced a strong effort. Bullpen substitutes such as Kyle Kendrick and Tyler Walker contributed important innings.

But beginning Wednesday in Miami, the bullpen looked shaken and decimated, and reversed the tone of the trip.

Brad Lidge's blown save Wednesday night against the Florida Marlins was an event of deep significance for the team. Lidge's 11th failure in save situations was ugly; he threw too many sliders with too little conviction, and seemed to fear failure rather than anticipate success.

Lidge might have lost his job for the rest of the season that night, which turned a series win into a two-of-three loss.

"I don't want to shoot Lidge. I think he'll get back to where he's at," Manuel said yesterday when asked about the status of the closer's job. "He needs a little break."

The weekend in Milwaukee ended in a draw, with the games seeming secondary to intense questions about the bullpen: Will Happ be the closer? Or maybe Walker? Or Brett Myers, if healthy? (Manuel hinted Thursday at all three possibilities.)

Troubling pitching performances filled the weekend, after Happ's impressive return from injury Thursday. Cliff Lee's Friday shellacking labeled him as unpredictable heading into the playoffs, and Walker failed an audition by allowing a walk-off home run to Ryan Braun the next night.

Madson's save allowed his team to leave town relieved, though aware that it needs to play better.

Joe Blanton, possibly the Phils' best starter, had a middling game yesterday after appearing to rediscover his slider and sinker Tuesday in Miami.

"I forget to pack them, I guess," he said of the pitches. "So hopefully they send them to Philadelphia so I can get them there."

"It would be real nice to get hot, no getting around it," shortstop Jimmy Rollins said. "We're playing OK. We do some things good. Some things, what the heck is going on out there? It looks like a Little League game out there."