Lidge Not There Yet

Brad Lidge picked up his third consecutive save in last night's exciting win over the Giants at the ballpark. But to say it was not an artistic performance would be kind.

Lidge threw 22 pitches and officially 10 were strikes and 12 were balls. Unofficially, there were probably no more than 3 or 4 actual strikes. The rest were the product of wild swings at balls well out of the strike zone by the undisciplined Giant hitters. There were probably at least 6 balls in the dirt and Carlos Ruiz must have felt like a pinata trying to keep the baseball in front of him.

The Phillie closer's two previous appearances were solid but this was a step backward. It was all smiles after the game but deep down Brad Lidge and Charlie Manuel know that many questions remain as the playoffs loom.