Lidge’s career rebound huge boost for Phils
Posted: Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:08 PM
How good is Phillies’ closer Brad Lidge? So good that Philadelphia hasn’t lost a game that it has led after eight innings (75-0) all season. In contrast, the Mets have lost 12 games in which they were ahead or tied after eight innings (including games that went into extra innings like last night’s 10-inning affair with the Cubs).
The difference is staggering and no doubt the major difference in the National League East race is Lidge. He is 40-for-40 in save opportunities this season with 89 strikeouts in 67 innings. His only blemish is 34 walks, leading to a higher-than-expected 1.2 WHIP. But it hasn’t stopped him from getting the final out.
For years various students of the game have questioned the closer’s value. Hall-of-Fame voters seem to finally be accepting -- much later than justified -- the importance of a closer getting the final three outs. I continue to maintain the ninth inning is different and ask ANYBODY who has played the game and they will tell you the same thing. The baseball encyclopedia is filled with many relievers who could get outs in the seventh and eighth innings but not in the ninth. Those who could get those final-inning outs and did so with supreme consistency are in the Hall of Fame.
Lidge reminds me of Robb Nen, the former closer for both the Marlins and Giants, who possessed a mid-90-mph fastball and devastating slider. When Lidge’s slider works, as the 2008 model has to perfection, he can be as nasty as any pitcher in the game.
What happened with his fall in his final years in Houston is one of the game’s mysteries. Logical thoughts lead to a loss of confidence in doing a job more demanding of a strong mind than any other on-the-field role in baseball. There was indeed a huge question over whether Lidge – given the demoralizing way it ended for him in Houston – would ever again be one of baseball’s best closers.
Well that question has been answered. Lidge is back to being one of the game’s Kings of the Hill out of the bullpen, stepping on the mound when wins need to be nailed down and getting the job done while taking on these critical missions in the cut-you-no-slack City of Brotherly Love or No Love (depending on how one is performing). He has proven that he has not only the physical gifts to get the job done but the mental tenacity and toughness as well. He has rid himself of any mental baggage that would have kept him from excelling as a closer.
Here’s what we know: The Phillies are shooting for a second straight division title and Lidge is the biggest difference between his team and the Mets.
FIVE MORE SWINGS
1. ANOTHER DIFFERENCE IN THE NL EAST: Atlanta has played an unintended role in the division race. The Phillies are 14-4 against the former kings of the division while the Mets went 7-11, 1-8 in Atlanta, against their long-time nemesis.
2. DOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Minnesota’s ERA is about two runs less in the Metrodome than on the road. That’s helped them as they’ve taken the first two tilts of their three-game showdown under their roof with the White Sox.
3. TIM LINCECUM is being boosted by many as the NL Cy Young favorite. And his season has been fantastic, despite a hiccup at home Tuesday night. But the best SECOND HALF pitcher in the NL has been Johan Santana. His win Tuesday night makes him 8-0 with a 2.26 ERA over his last 15 starts. He’s had to deal with horrid bullpen failures and the intense pressure of being the staff savior in New York. With respect to Lincecum and even Brandon Webb, no one has faced the pressure that Santana has conquered.
4. LAST YEAR THIS WAS COLORADO’S TIME but this year they are an afterthought in large measure due to the injury that sidelined Troy Tulowitzki in the first half of the season. Quietly, Tulowitzki has come back with an impressive second half.
5. PETER MAGOWAN was honored earlier this week for his 16 years as lead owner and managing general partner of the Giants. His respect is such that Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, a former longtime Giants assistant GM, flew in for the occasion. The Hall of Fame was represented by Mays, McCovey, Cepeda and Joe Morgan as well as other standouts like Matt Williams, Robby Thompson, Nen, J.T. Snow and Kirk Rueter. It was a wonderful honor for the man who saved the franchise from being moved to St. Petersburg in 1992, built the game’s only privately financed ballpark (a gem) and has run the team with an unabashed love for the game alongside an equal respect for the fan.
