Patience with Pitchers Needed
Last night rattled plenty of Phillies fans after Brad Lidge blew another save against a terrible Pittsburgh Pirates team. It was especially disheartening because the Phils had come from behind to take the lead in the ninth inning. So, of course, today the phone lines at the sports talk stations are busy with fans proclaiming Lidge is done. Forget last year, it’s all about now, and we need a new closer. These are likely the same general managers in waiting who are convinced Cole Hamels shouldn’t be in the playoff rotation. I’ll admit last night really started to shake my confidence in my theory that the team has to stick with Lidge. It’s pretty clear the closer caught lightning in a bottle last year, and his numbers are a bit frightening right now. I’m not suggesting Lidge should be etched in stone as the guy who comes into every save situation, but there are two factors that I think are being completely overlooked right now. The fact is that Lidge was coming in for the fourth straight