The Philadelphia Phillies are going to be a tough out during the 2009 baseball postseason. The Colorado Rockies seemed to have control of Game 4 — until a two-out, ninth inning rally gave the Phillies the victory and allowed Philadelphia to advance to play the Los Angeles Dodgers for a trip to the World Series.
Heading into the top of the ninth inning, the Phillies trailed 4-2. But with two runners on base, Ryan Howard delivered a two-run double to tie the game. Jayson Werth then singled to score Howard and give the Phillies a 5-4 lead.
In the bottom of the …read more

After a perfect season last year, Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge has come crashing down to earth. On Wednesday against the Florida Marlins, Lidge blew another save and picked up another loss. At this point, one has to wonder how much longer the Phillies can keep using Lidge as the team’s closer.
Last season, Lidge was 2-0 with a 1.95 ERA and was a perfect 41-for-41 in save opportunities. This year has been totally different. He’s 0-8 with a 7.48 ERA and has blown 11 save chances out of 42.
Heading into the 9th inning with a 6-5 lead, Phillies manager Charlie …read more

When you think of the Philadelphia Phillies, you likely first think about their imposing lineup. But the team’s pitching is going to have to be stellar if the team is going to win back-to-back World Series championships. On Friday against the New York Mets, the team’s pitching unit looked very good as the Phillies won 4-2.
To start the game, Cole Hamels went 6.2 strong innings — allowing only one earned run while striking out six. Chan Ho Park and Brett Myers set the table for the new closer Ryan Madson. Madson, who has replaced Brad Lidge as the closer, pitched …read more

Last season, Brad Lidge was a giant part to the Philadelphia Phillies as the team captured the 2008 World Series title. He was perfect in save opportunities and his dominance at the end of games made the Phillies extremely dangerous with a lead.
This season has been almost the exact opposite for Lidge. He has ten blown saves to go along with an ERA of 7.15 and a record of 0-7. That Lidge is still the Phillies’ closer despite how poorly he has pitched this year is a testament to how much manager Charlie Manuel believes in him. However, his patience …read more

As much as everyone wanted Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers to be the feel good story of the year, but my vote goes to Fernando Tatis of the New York Mets. Until Tatis got hurt near the end of the season, I thought he had a great chance at Comeback Player of the Year in the National League. However, Tatis finished fifth in the voting as Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge took the honors.
But it was a nice comeback for Tatis, no matter where he finished in the voting. To be honest, it was shocking to …read more