Lidge Throws Successful Rehab with BlueClaws

Philadelphia relief pitcher Brad Lidge made his first official regular season rehab appearance of the 2011 season on Monday night for the Phillies Class A affiliate the Lakewood BlueClaws.

Lidge tossed a scoreless inning to start the contest, against the Nationals affiliate, the Hagerstown Suns. He threw 15 pitches, 9 of which were strikes.

Initially, the outing wasn't looking too great, as Lidge surrendered hits to the first two batters of the game. However, he quickly induced a grounder to shortstop Edgar Duran for a double play, then wrapped up the opening frame on a ground out to third baseman Moose Mattair.

The right-handed Lidge, who has been out of action since spring training with elbow and shoulder issues, was rather satisfied with his effort and is hoping to progress without any setbacks.

"I’m not taking any day for granted," Lidge told Tony Graham of the Asbury Park Press. "That actually felt really good to get out there and the first time pitching in real competition since the post season last year. I was definitely pleased by the results."

While Lidge has spent time on the disabled list in each of his four seasons with Philadelphia, this is the longest stint of his career on the sidelines.

The 34-year-old Lidge, who initially dealt with a rotator cuff strain prior to the start of the regular season, last pitched on May 31st in an extended spring training game in Florida, retiring 5 batters.

Immediately after that outing in May, Lidge was confident he was headed for a rehab assignment with Class A Advanced Clearwater, but elbow discomfort set it the next day. The Phillies and Lidge hope that he feels fine on Tuesday. If that is the case, and Lidge continues to be pain-free, he will likely pitch another rehab game on Thursday. A target return date to Philadelphia is still unclear, however.

"I’m going to be here a couple of more times at least," Lidge said. "I’ve got a few outings I’m going to have to make, here, Reading, Lehigh (Valley).

"If I come out and am feeling good tomorrow, then I’ll know that, knock on wood, we’re not going to be that far off, in terms of how much longer I miss. Obviously, I’ve got to get a bunch of outings (before I am activated by the Phillies)," Lidge added.

After his inning of work in Lakewood, Lidge, who served as the Phillies' closer for three seasons, expressed a considerable level of excitement with the emergence of lefty hurler Antonio Bastardo this season. The 25-year-old Bastardo, who is 5-for-5 in save opportunities and has a 0.87 ERA this season, is filling in nicely as of late, with Lidge and two other replacement closers, Ryan Madson (hand) and Jose Contreras (forearm), on the disabled list.

"It’s very impressive," Lidge said. "When Bastardo came in (last week) and got a save against the Red Sox, Madson and I were looking at each other (and saying), “It’s not that easy, is it?’"

The BlueClaws were victorious the Independence Day contest in walk-off fashion. The two-time defending South Atlantic League champions defeated Hagerstown by a score of 3-2 on a game winning single by Moose Mattair that scored Zach Collier in the bottom of the 9th inning.
__________________________________________

Image- Joe Wombough

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

You can also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Sunday School: Phillies History Lesson 73

Danny Ozark was the Phillies' manager from 1973-1979. During his tenure as the team's general, Ozark led Philadelphia to three straight division titles. In his playing days, Ozark was a first baseman, who was a career minor leaguer in the Dodgers system. When Ozark took over the team in 1973, the Phillies were fresh off 5 consecutive losing seasons and 3 straight last place finishes. During his first season in charge, the Phillies would again finish in last place, 20 games under .500, but as his core of young talent, like Mike Schmidt and Larry Bowa, developed, the Phillies' win totals rose. Within 2 years, the Phillies were above .500 and in the playoff hunt until late in the season and the most successful era of Phillies history was about to begin. By 1976, the Phillies were headed to the post-season for the first time since 1950. The Phils would enjoy a 10-game lead over their nearest division rival at the midway point of the season. Despite a lul, which saw their lead d...

PhoulBallz Interview: First round pick Bryson Stott

Bryson Stott, image- Jay Floyd Shortstop Bryson Stott , the Phillies' first round draft selection this year, has enjoyed a successful initial pro campaign. En route to being recognized as an All-Star for the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters the 21-year-old UNLV product has tallied a .295 average with six home runs and 25 RBI in 45 minor league contests. Last week I spoke with the lefty hitting Stott to discuss his transition to professional baseball, joining the Phillies organization and plenty more. Read ahead for that interview. -Obviously, your performance and the production on the field is going well, but how do you feel you have adapted to the pro life? It feels good. You hear about the everyday grind, but you don't really believe it till you feel it. I would say that's the difference between college and the pros, is you're not practicing, you're playing games every day. I would say that's the biggest difference. But I...

Velasquez shut down, Eflin on deck?

Eflin with Reading in 2015, image- Jay Floyd Following Vincent Velasquez leaving his start after just two pitches for the Phillies on Wednesday, righty prospect Zach Eflin was pulled from his start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley at Gwinnett. The 22-year-old sports a 5-1 record with a 3.14 ERA and a .210 batting average against in 10 starts for the IronPigs this season. He could take the place of Velasquez if he is required to miss any additional time. Initial word on Velasquez after he threw two fastballs that clocked in the 86-87 MPH range (considerably slower than the 94 MPH he averages) and was swiftly pulled from his outing, is that he has a biceps strain. He'll be further evaluated in the coming days. Prior to the regular season, Eflin got a taste of competing against big leaguers when he was charged with 12 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits while striking out two and walking one with a wild pitch in three innings of work in an intrasquad exhibition that pitted the Phils...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog