With tonight's 7-4 loss to the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the World Series, the defending champions fell behind, three games to one. The ninth inning featured a strong reminder that Lidge's 2009 was as unsettling as 2008 was triumphant for him.

The Phils trailed by 4-3 in the eighth inning when Pedro Feliz crushed a full-count, two-out home run off Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain. That buoyed the Phils and appeared to signal a signature comeback.

Lidge, excellent in the postseason after suffering 11 blown saves this year, entered a tie game and earned two fast outs. But Johnny Damon fouled off five pitches in a game-changing at-bat, and guided the ninth pitch into left field for a single.

Then came a moment that will be long-maligned in Philadelphia. With Mark Teixeira batting, Damon stole second. When he arrived there, he saw third baseman Feliz, because the infield had shifted for the batter. Damon continued to third, and Lidge unraveled.

He hit Teixeira, then allowed a run-scoring double to Alex Rodriguez and a two-run single to Jorge Posada.

Now, Cliff Lee faces Yankees righthander A.J. Burnett on Monday night in a win-or-face-the-winter game.

A serviceable start from Joe Blanton kept the Phillies close for the entire game. Blanton spent the summer as one of the Phils' most consistent starters, but manager Charlie Manuel saw the righthander as a potential solution to his bullpen issues in the playoffs. Since a shaky outing on Sept. 27 in Milwaukee, Blanton started just twice, and only once in the playoffs. And despite the plan to use him as a bullpen weapon, he made just two relief appearances and one start in the postseason before tonight, leading to questions about how sharp and strong he would be.

Blanton's struggles in the first and fifth innings only intensified those questions. Derek Jeter led off the game with a hard grounder to second; Chase Utley dived to block it, but could not make a throw. Damon bashed a double to right, moving Jeter to third. The Yankees shortstop scored on a Teixeira groundout, and the Phils were quickly behind.

Drama followed when a Blanton fastball tailed inside and plunked Rodriguez. The third baseman, who had already been hit by two pitches in the Series, shouted and spiked his bat on the ground. The umpires issued warnings to both benches. New York then added another run on a Posada sacrifice fly.

Shane Victorino instigated a partial comeback in the bottom of the inning. He hit a one-out double off Sabathia, and scored on Utley's double to deep right center. Ryan Howard followed with his 10th strikeout of the Series, and after an intentional walk to Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez ended the inning by striking out.

The Phils stranded two, and squandered an opportunity to completely atone for Blanton's early trouble. Although they forced Sabathia to throw 24 pitches in the first, the pitcher was more efficient afterward, and lasted deep into the game.

Blanton reduced his own pitch count by breezing through the bottom third of the Yankees' lineup in the second, beginning three innings of dominance. While Sabathia excelled into the middle innings, the Phils' starter settled into his own brand of quiet, almost lazy excellence. After hitting Rodriguez, Blanton retired 11 consecutive batters, a stretch that included consecutive strikeouts of Posada and Robinson Cano to end the fourth.

The Phillies tied the game in the bottom of that inning. Howard led off with a single, and stole second with Werth batting. Feliz later knocked a two-out hit to shallow left, where Damon carries a reputation for having an extraordinarily poor throwing arm. Howard chugged home and arrived with the throw, but catcher Posada could not hold on to the ball. Howard never touched home plate, but umpire Mike Everitt did not appear to notice.

Immediately after the Phils erased his early deficit, Blanton destabilized again. He began the fifth by walking his old Oakland roommate Nick Swisher on four pitches, then allowed an infield single to Melky Cabrera. After Sabathia struck out, Jeter singled, scoring Cabrera. Damon dunked a single into shallow right to score Cabrera, increasing the Yankees' lead to 4-2.

The Phils appeared ready to retaliate, but they squandered another chance against Sabathia. Rollins singled to begin the fifth, and Victorino walked. That handed the middle of the order an opportunity with two on and none out, but Utley and Howard popped up. Werth was the rally's final chance. The Phils' best power hitter this postseason missed a 2-2 change-up, flung his bat toward the dugout, and muttered while returning to right field.

But the Phils showed characteristic resilience, and narrowed Sabathia's lead in the seventh. With two out, Utley homered to right, ending the Yankees ace's impressive performance.

Contact staff writer Andy Martino at 215-854-4874 or amartino@phillynews.com.