CBSSPORTS.COM – Before the game, Charlie Manuel declared: “Lidge is our closer.”  After the game, the Philadelphia Phillies manager was no longer certain. Yet, confusingly enough, Brad Lidge seemed to feel the job was definitely still his, creating a head-shaking disparity between the statements of manager and player. Manuel pulled Lidge after four batters in the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s 5-3 victory against the Washington Nationals. Lidge, who had his 10th blown save of the season in his previous appearance on Saturday, retired only one batter amid a single, a hit batter, a wild pitch and a walk. Ryan Madson entered and retired Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn with the bases loaded to earn the save that usually belongs to Lidge — forcing Manuel to backtrack on his pregame vote of confidence. “When I say he’s my closer, I don’t tell lies, and I don’t like to go back on nothing,” Manuel said. “But the team and the game is bigger than my heart and is bigger than anything else, if you want to know the truth. Winning a game, that’s why I manage and that’s what comes first, and it was real tough for me to do.”That led to the obvious question: If there’s a save situation on Wednesday, is Lidge still the closer?

This is a shock to me.  I never thought I’d see Charlie pull Lidge in a save situation, but he did Tuesday just hours after telling the media Lidge was his guy.  Like I’ve said all along you have to stick with Lidge so he can get his confidence back eventually.  I truely believe Manuel will stick with Lidge all the way till the end of the postseason, but if he was to switch to Madson or Myers somewhere down the stretch it wouldn’t be a shock to me at all and it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone else.  I mean lets get real the guy does have 10 blown saves this season thats a lot of fuckin blown saves man.  Lidge said after the game that  he hasn’t felt right pitching out of the stretch all season, however at times this season I’ve seen him pitch amazing out of the stretch so I don’t know what the hell it is.  All these closers are head cases you never know with these guys.  Hopefully we get our lights out Lidge back soon, but don’t be shocked  if he never gets back to that form.  ENJOY IT!