Starting Five: Phils No Closer to Solving Closer Problem

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 problem is back again.

Lidge on Wednesday blew a save for the 11th time -- most in the NL in 11 years -- as the Phillies lost 7-6 to the Marlins.

He entered for the bottom of the ninth, after Ross Gload's leadoff double, got two outs. But Hanley Ramirez walked, Jorge Cantu singled and Brett Carroll singled to hand Lidge the loss.

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Manager Charlie Manuel acknowledged the Phils' dilemma: With so many other contingency plans thwarted by injuries, [Ryan] Madson and Lidge are forced into the setup and closer roles. If those two succeed, the Phillies are a dangerous team. If they perform as they did last night, the team will not win another World Series.

"It's hard for us to close a game out," said Manuel, who conceded that the Madson-Lidge combination "is kind of what we've got."

Lidge spoke with a flat voice and glassy eyes. "It's incredibly frustrating," he said, clearly struggling to explain another loss. "I'm disappointed."

Lidge, who didn't blow a save all last season, has failed on five of his past 15 save chances. He has eight losses and a 7.48 ERA, worst ever for a closer (20 or more saves).

Only one pitcher ever, according to STATS LLC, has had 11 blown saves, eight relief losses and an ERA greater than 7.00: Norm Charlton for the 1997 Mariners (11 blown saves, eight relief losses, 7.27 ERA).

From the Trainer's Room ...
Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz, who has made 97 starts this season, was found to have no structural damage in his sore left wrist, but he will sit out another three-five days after receiving an anti-inflammatory injection. Philadelphia needs Ruiz in the postseason; 37-year-old backup Paul Bako is a career .230 hitter with a .194 average in 17 playoff games.

Numbers Game ...
Milwaukee's Prince Fielder hit a two-run homer to take sole possession of the major-league lead in RBI, with 131. He can become the first Brewer to lead the NL in RBI and the first Brewer to lead the majors outright since Cecil Cooper in 1980. Another Cecil and another Fielder -- Prince's father, Cecil Fielder -- led the majors in RBI in 1990-92 for Detroit.

In Their Own Words ...
"We won our ballgames, but we also got a couple of guys hot so they can go play Detroit. I think Dye, we put him on the right track. Maybe he can take care of the Motown boys." -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, whose team (2 1/2 games out in the AL Central) overcame two Jermaine Dye homers for an 8-6 victory over the White Sox, who face the first-place Tigers this weekend

Advance Scouting ...
Scott Feldman needs a win this afternoon at Oakland (3:35 PM ET) if he is to become Texas' first 20-game winner in 11 years. Feldman is 17-5 with, likely, three starts left. The Rangers' three 20-game winners were Ferguson Jenkins in 1974 (25-12), Kevin Brown in 1992 (21-11) and Rick Helling in 1998 (20-7). With a 12-1 road record, Feldman can become the first pitcher with 13 wins away from home since CC Sabathia in 2001.