Is ANYONE Else Worried About Brad Lidge?

This was a post on my friend Greg's Facebook page last week. I had to laugh, because this is a typical native Philadelphia sports fan's typical reaction to the slightest sign of adversity.

Last year, Lidge was PERFECT... 41 saves in 41 save opportunities with a 1.95 ERA. with 92 strikeouts. (Actually, going back to the '07 season, he saved 51 in a row including the postseason.) This wasn't a good year. This wasn't even a great year. This was a PERFECT year. A super-human year. A once-in-a career year. This season, Lidge has been... well, human. As of last night, Lidge has 25 saves in 33 save opportunities. He pitched well in a non-save situation, and the Phils took 3 out of 4 from the Mets. They have a 7 game lead over the Braves as they head to Pittsburgh. So, IS it time to panic? I say not. Lidge might night be having the year he has last year, but give the guy a break... he DID set the bar pretty high. He might be 0-5 in terms of wins and losses, and an ERA of 6.75, but he's in the top 10 in NL save leaders and only 2 saves behind Trevor Hoffman... whom I consider the best reliever in the game.

The Phils are sitting in a pretty good spot right now and there's a lot to be excited about in terms of their pitching. His name is Cliff Lee. This guy is a STUD! I haven't been this thrilled to watch a pitcher since the Red Sox acquired Josh Beckett...another stud. The pressure is now off Cole Hamels to be the ace of the staff, and with the addition of Pedro Martinez, who I think can still give them a solid 5 innings and his personal reliever Jamie Moyer now in the bullpen, I think the pitching staff is pretty solid. I LOVE Jamie Moyer, and was sorry to see him leave the rotation. He's right... his veteran status and team leader in wins SHOULD count for something... but I also believe it the very reason Charlie Manuel moved him to the 'Pen. His a veteran, mature pitcher, who can handle a move like that better than a younger, more immature pitcher like Joe Blanton or Hamels. I've had the pleasure of interviewing Jamie Moyer and he's one of the classiest, friendliest ball players I've ever met. I'm sure he's not happy about the move, but his class will overcome his emotions. Besides, if the Pedro experiment doesn't work out, Moyer will be back in the rotation anyway.

Besides, there is still a LOT of baseball left to play, and the Phils have no more west coast trips left on the schedule... plenty of time to figure out if Pedro can be a solid starter, Moyer an effective reliever, and if Brad Lidge being human will be good enough for them to chase another World Series Championship.