Starting Five: Brad Lidge Far From Perfect Now

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That Brad Lidge has come back to Earth with a thud this season. On Saturday Lidge gave up a game-tying homer to Rafael Furcal in the ninth, despite the leaping effort of Jayson Werth, right. It was Lidge's second blown save in two days. After being perfect in converting saves to help the Phillies to the World Series title last year, Lidge now has six blown saves, three losses and a 7.27 ERA.

The nature of a closer's job is that a few bad breaks or bad pitches are magnified, but Lidge isn't simply shrugging off this season's struggles.

"The results are starting to frustrate me," Lidge said. "It just seems to be one thing. Tonight, it was the slider he hit. I don't know. I feel good, but I know something needs to change in terms of results. You've just got to get it done, and right now for whatever reason, it's not happening."

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel added a vote of confidence for Lidge: "He'll always be my guy."

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From the Trainers' Room ...
John Smoltz took another step toward being ready for the Red Sox rotation. Smoltz pitched six innings for Triple-A Pawtucket. It was his fourth rehab appearance, but first at Triple-A. He's scheduled to pitch for Pawtucket again on Thursday.

Numbers Game ...
Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder had the 15th two-homer game of his career. Since 2006, Fielder's first full season in the majors, only Ryan Howard (19) has more multi-homer games than Fielder. Fielder, however, has never hit three homers.

In Their Own Words ...
"That was just lights out. That was one of the best games I've seen in my career by a pitcher." -- Rangers third baseman Michael Young, on Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester, who took a perfect game into the seventh before Young broke it up. Young had the only two hits of the game against Lester, who was making a bid for his second career no-hitter.

Advance Scouting ...
Braves right-hander Tommy Hanson, one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, will make his big-league debut with a start against the Brewers (1:30 PM ET). Hanson had a 1.49 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season. There will be an added spotlight on Hanson because he is the pitcher who took the place that was going to be Tom Glavine's.