Entering the Postseason, one of the Phillies' weakest links was the back end of their bullpen. Specifically, fans were nervous about the recent reinstatement of Brad Lidge as the team's closer. Brad's struggles throughout the regular season have been well documented - 11 blown saves with an 0-8 record, a 7.21 ERA and batters hitting .301 against him. However, as most of the play-off teams have seen their closers falter, Brad has saved three games this Postseason and he was the winning pitcher in last night's unbelievable victory. In four appearances, he has yet to allow a run.Throughout all his regular season hardships, manager Charlie Manuel never lost confidence in the man who was perfect last year. I'll be the first to admit I lost confidence in him, so it's probably a good thing Charlie's in charge of the team and not me.
Team Save Leaders: Brad managed to save 31 games throughout the regular season, followed by Ryan Madson's 10 saves. Chad Durbin (2) and Clay Condrey (1) also recorded saves for the Phils in 2009.
No comments:
Post a Comment