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Phils hope Lidge can stay locked in through Series

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Jon Paul Morosi

Jon Paul Morosi is a national MLB writer for FOXSports.com. He previously covered baseball for the Detroit Free Press and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He began his journalism career at the Bay City Times in his native Michigan. Follow him on Twitter.

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Updated Oct 27, 2009 9:43 PM ET
     
 

NEW YORK

At 11:10 p.m. Sunday, the bullpen door opened and the Metallica riff began and the crowd at Yankee Stadium went berserk. The announcement was simple: No. 42, Mariano Rivera. There was no need to say, "Now pitching for the Yankees" or "Coming out of the bullpen for the Yankees" or anything like that. Just the name, the music and the promise of dominance. A pitcher has to earn an entrance like that, and Rivera's credentials are well-known: four rings, a record 37 postseason saves and a 0.77 ERA when it matters most. At the moment he entered Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, most everyone was certain the home team was going to win. And that made me wonder: Is there any way for Phillies fans to enjoy even a slice of that same security when it comes time for Brad Lidge to take the ball in the World Series? This year's Fall Classic could be defined by a series of subplots — Alex Rodriguez vs. Ryan Howard, CC Sabathia vs. Cliff Lee — but the Rivera-Lidge dynamic might be as fascinating as any other. If the Yankees win, Rivera will augment his Hall of Fame career by closing for a world champion at age 39. But if the Phillies win, Lidge will complete his metamorphosis from midseason mystery to postseason hero. It's hard to say which would be more impressive. Lidge has regained some trust among Phillies fans by not allowing an earned run in four innings this postseason. The crowd at Citizens Bank Park gave him a louder ovation when he entered Game 5 of the National League Championship Series than in Game 4, when he earned his first win of the season after Jimmy Rollins' walk-off double. But that difference probably had something to do with the circumstances. In the fifth game, Philadelphia had a six-run lead and was three outs from the pennant. There was little reason to be tense, regardless of who was pitching. Still, for the time being, it's hard to imagine Lidge could inspire the same confidence among Phillies fans that Rivera does in New York. Lidge has not held his job for as long as Rivera, nor has he done it as well. During the regular season, Lidge had a 7.21 ERA and 11 blown saves. Rivera? He was a little better: 1.76 and two, respectively. Lidge isn't Rivera. But who is? By now, we're all pretty familiar with the contour of Lidge's Philadelphia story: He arrived in a trade before last season and converted all 48 of his save opportunities, including the postseason. He threw the last pitch of the World Series, the kind of thing that any kid with a fastball dreams about. But the '09 regular season was a calamity. A right knee sprain disrupted his mechanics, rattled his confidence and forced him to the disabled list. Now, the pain is subsiding. Lidge's delivery is back in line, meaning the life on his fastball has returned. He has added a cutter, too. And he made another effective switch: His home appearances are now greeted with "No More Sorrow," by Linkin Park. It doesn't have the timeless appeal of Rivera's "Enter Sandman," but I suppose the title is apt for Lidge's resurgence. In some respects, Lidge is the most dangerous sort of closer: He has done it before, and he's riding the confidence wave that comes with recent success under pressure. "Whenever you're hurt, whenever you have to change some things mechanically, and things aren't going where you think they're going to go, it becomes a little rougher," Lidge said over the weekend in Philadelphia. "It was a gradual progression for me. Somewhere around the last week of the regular season, I was able to drive off my back leg like normal. At the same time, picking up a cutter has helped a little bit. It's something else for hitters to think about. "Everything comes in place at the right time. And there's also a different level of focus that goes along with the postseason. For whatever reason, I start to feel more locked in."
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But there is pitching well in the postseason, and then there is pitching well in the postseason, on the road, against the Yankees, in the World Series. It's like shooting layups in an empty gym one day and playing Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium the next. Evidence of this phenomenon is both recent and memorable: An All-Star closer has blown a save opportunity at Yankee Stadium twice already in these playoffs. It happened to Joe Nathan in Game 2 of the AL Division Series. It happened to Brian Fuentes in Game 2 of the AL Championship Series. The Yankees are 5-0 in postseason games held at the new stadium, and the challenge of getting Out No. 27 against their lineup is a major reason. Even if he keeps making good pitches, I will be surprised if Lidge saves more than one game in the Bronx during this Series. But we shouldn't be surprised if Lidge's teammates hand him a lead in games 1 or 2 — or even games 6 or 7. Charlie Manuel has a balanced lineup that can hit clutch home runs. Lee and Pedro Martinez have pitched superbly this postseason. And Lidge isn't the only Philadelphia reliever who has improved since the regular season. "I felt like last year we were the best bullpen in baseball," Lidge said, "and I feel like we're there now." The Phillies are capable of staging late-game comebacks of their own. We've seen it happen this month. Huston Street and Jonathan Broxton met the same fate against the defending champs that Nathan and Fuentes did in New York. In the ultimate round, though, the Phillies will need to do their scoring before the closer gets involved. They know that. The Yankees know that. And then Lidge will need to do what Nathan and Fuentes could not: shake hands after the final out of a postseason game at the new Yankee Stadium.
Tagged: Joe Nathan, Rockies, Jonathan Broxton, Jimmy Rollins, Brian Fuentes, Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Angels, Huston Street, Dodgers, Twins, Yankees, Ryan Howard, Phillies, Brad Lidge

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