What If Brad Lidge Could Be Brad Lidge?

Last night, Brad Lidge pitched a 1-2-3 seven pitch inning against the Washington Nationals. His slider was working, he was locating his fastball, and he was doing a terrific job of getting ahead in the count. Simply put Lidge was dominant and his outstanding performance begged me to ask the question, what if Lidge could return to his 2008 form?



Think about how much of a luxury it would be to have a healthy Lidge in the back end of your bullpen ready to come into a game and dominate at any time. Despite his blown save last night, I would keep Madson as the closer, but to have Lidge as a dominant set up man would make the Phillies all the more dangerous come October.



I have stated in the past that as good as this starting rotation is, inevitably some games are going to be close one and two run games. When games do come down to the wire, the bullpen is going to have to come through. Having Lidge at his best will solidify this bullpen and give me a ton of confidence going into the post season.



When Lidge entered a game in 2008, for the most part you could kick back and relax. When Lidge has come into games during the past two seasons, you were forced to hold your breath. If Lidge can begin to climb back to his 2008 form, the Phillies will be able to gear up for a very long post season run. Ultimately, a healthy Lidge could spell another World Series title for the Philadelphia Phillies.