That's 10 Blown Saves and Counting....

Brad Lidge blew another save tonight, his tenth of the season, dropping his record to 0-7. The Phils took a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the 9th tonight, and as I have come to expect, he not only blew the lead, he blew the game. That's now 10 blown saves by Lidge, plus another 5 by Madson. That's a staggering number.

To his credit, Lidge recognizes that his performance just won't do. "The slider that we've been working with, the control wasn't there," he said. "For whatever reason, I've had a hell of a time getting back into consistently repeating the delivery pitch after pitch after pitch." He is enough of a realist to know that the explanations, while insightful, are not enough. "Three good [games], one bad one. Three good ones, one bad one. That's not good enough." No, it certainly isn't, and the Phillies cannot afford ANY more bad ones from him.

Brett Myers pitched a solid inning in his first performance after his return from the disabled list, and he was rock solid.

The Phils simply cannot afford any more losses in the 9th inning. Now that Brett Myers is healthy and back, it's time for Charlie Manuel to give him a chance at closing, something he did well in 2007. The Phillies cannot afford any more of Lidge's meltdowns. I understand that closers have delicate mentalities, and I likewise understand that Manuel has stood by his man all season long out of necessity. However, he now has a real and viable alternative in Myers, and it's hight time that he avail himself of that choice. Ten blown saves by Lidge is more than enough and the team cannot afford an eleventh.

C'mon, Charlie. It's time. I understand loyalty, but it's time to make a change, because Lidge simply is not doing the job.