Without a Perfect Closer, Phillies Go for The 4-Headed One

PHILADELPHIA -- And the Phillies' postseason closer is ...

Brad Blappson.

Or maybe ...

J.A. Madgeton.

That's about as clear as manager Charlie Manuel could make it Tuesday, a day before Philadelphia was to open its NL Division Series against Colorado.

"Hard to tell," Manuel said when asked who would close Game 1, if needed.

"I'll answer that when we get there. Whoever you see walking out [of the bullpen]."

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Could be Brad Lidge. Could be Ryan Madson. Could even be J.A. Happ or Joe Blanton, who are the candidates to start Game 3 but were told to be ready to relieve in Games 1 and 2.

"Clearly we don't have the same situation we had last year," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "That's a pretty open-minded and flexible way to try to manage an issue.

"It makes a lot of sense to put some of our more talented players in a situation where they can help us win."

A year ago, the question would never have been asked. Lidge converted every save chance he got in the regular season and the playoffs as Philly won the World Series.

But Lidge's 11 blown saves, 0-8 record and 7.21 ERA -- the highest ever for someone with 20 or more saves -- have created this uncertainty.

At least he can try to convince himself he's starting fresh.

"There's no question that having a 0.00 ERA next to your name is a lot nicer than the other one, whatever that was," he said. "I haven't looked at that one in a while."

Lidge's problems seem to have started with a sore knee that caused him to alter his mechanics. That led to pitches that weren't as sharp and poor command, and that snowballed into a confidence problem.

"I don't think he's [as bad as] half the guy he was before," said a scout from an AL team. "The year before he had that disappearing slider. Right-handers, left-handers -- it just went down late. Everybody knew it was coming.

"I just think his location was slightly off [this year] and [his stuff] not quite as hard."

Lidge showed his 2008 slider Saturday in his final regular-season appearance, giving the Phillies cause for optimism.

"I finished with a 1-2-3 inning," he said. "And it's been a while since I've had one of those.

"I feel, myself, like I'll be peaking at the right time. Last year, it started good and it stayed that way the while time. That's not the way it is this year, so I've got to deal with that. That's the reality of the situation.

"I've had some injuries, some things that kind of lingered, and have taken me out of the normal rhythm and groove that you can get in during the regular season. This last homestand, I was able to kind of fall back into some of those old habits."

And he will being adding a cut fastball, a pitch he has worked on in the bullpen but hasn't used in a game in years. It's an extra weapon against left-handers (who had a .440 on-base percentage against Lidge this year), and perhaps he will have more confidence in its location that he does with his slider.

"It's really just all what's going on in his head," shortstop Jimmy Rollins said. "He has to look in a mirror and say, 'I'm going to get the job done.'"

Not only has Lidge not been the same, but J.C. Romero, who threw 7 1/3 scoreless setup innings last postseason, is going to have elbow surgery on Thursday. And Chan Ho Park, who this year had a 2.52 ERA in relief, is out with a bad hamstring.

So it sounds like Manuel will go by the seat of his pants late in the game, and that may not be a bad plan.

"Charlie's got a hell of a feel for things," Amaro said. "He's got a really good feel for things that happen on the field.


"He's got a good feel for his players. He understands his players. He knows the personalities of them and how they handle certain situations. You can't argue with the job he's done."

The Phillies figure Happ and Blanton are durable enough to throw an inning or two of relief, if needed, and come back later in the series to start.

"I could see them pitching late in the game for us," Manuel said.

"I think [Lidge's] confidence definitely has gotten better. But when I look at Brad and Ryan Madson and I look at Happ and Blanton, I want to use them for the best way to win the game, if that makes sense. I think Madson is definitely very capable of closing games out. He's done that, and of course Lidge has too. At the same time, with Blanton and Happ, I think we pretty much can cover the back end."

Everyone involved said the right things: "Just get outs, it doesn't matter when," (Madson), or, "This is the playoffs, we're going to do whatever we've got to do," (Happ), or, "Pitching's pitching, whether it's one inning or seven innings," (Blanton).

"There's no question that having a 0.00 ERA next to your name is a lot nicer than the other one, whatever that was." -- Brad Lidge Still, this is the Phillies' biggest issue.

Manuel hasn't been able to settle on one closer for the past month, with Madson getting seven save opportunities and Lidge six.

"I think we've kind of gotten used to that," Lidge said. "I think Madson and I know to be ready for the eighth or ninth, in some capacity."

The bullpen muddle puts a little more pressure on the first two starters, who are Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. Manuel picked Lee over Hamels -- last year's MVP of the NLCS and World Series -- for the opener because he didn't want Hamels pitching on three days' rest, even though he threw just 47 pitches on Saturday.

Lee said he was "honored," while Hamels declined to be interviewed.

The order really didn't matter much, because if the series goes to a deciding fifth game, either could start on normal rest.

These tough decisions -- how to close games and how to start them -- didn't test Manuel's relationships with his players as much as expose how he has built them.

"I am loyal," he said. "I'm think I'm very loyal.

"But I always tell my players when I stand up in front of them, the first priority is to win the game."