Posted by Charlie Moynihan
7:35 p.m. ETIn a city that is very unforgiving, Brad Lidge seemingly has been forgiven. This postseason has seen All-Star closers such as Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, Brian Fuentes and Jonathan Broxton blow saves. Lidge, who temporarily shared the closer's role last month, has been the exception. He has three saves, one win and a 0.00 ERA.
Simply put, Lidge is once again thriving in October.
"Once the postseason rolls around, I think there is a different level of focus, and fortunately for me, it's worked out pretty good to where I feel pretty locked-in," Lidge said.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has been unwavering in his public support of Lidge.
"Right now, I kind of like exactly where he is at," Manuel said of Lidge.
To fully appreciate what Lidge has accomplished, you must look at the totality of his regular-season journey -- a major league-leading 11 blown saves, an ERA of 7.21 and the wrath of Philadelphians. Once the calendar turned from September to October, Lidge cleared his head, and his mechanics followed.
"As the postseason started, I started feeling like I could really push off my back side and not even have to think about mechanics or what I am doing out there physically," Lidge said. "And that leads to a lot of confidence."
And that confidence is the main reason the Phillies, who lead the Dodgers three games to one in the NLCS, are on the cusp of a second straight World Series appearance.
