Charlie Manuel made things official Thursday, announcing that Brad Lidge will try to get back on track in “low-stress” situations while Ryan Madson takes over at closer. Manuel showed incredible patience with Lidge, allowing him to go 0-7 with 10 blown saves and a 7.11 ERA in 51 innings before losing his job. That also means that he’ll probably be quick to give Lidge another chance in the ninth inning if he pitches well.
In the meantime Madson will have tons of fantasy value down the stretch. He’s been one of the NL’s elite setup men since shifting to the bullpen full time in 2007, posting ERAs of 3.05, 3.05, and 3.10. He should have little trouble getting the job done one inning later than usual, but if Madson struggles or needs any days off Brett Myers will likely be asked to be step in now that he’s off the disabled list and looking healthy.
While the defending champs take advantage of their five-game lead in the NL East to get the bullpen right for October, here are some other notes from around baseball …
* Eric Young Jr. went 2-for-3 with a walk and two steals Thursday, finally showing off the blazing speed that enabled him to swipe an amazing 80 bases per 150 games in the minors. Young’s father played 15 seasons in the majors, retiring just three years ago after hitting .283/.359/.390 with 465 steals over 1,730 games. Junior is a similar player, hitting .293/.385/.416 in the minors while showing modest power.
Young’s long-term position remains unclear, as he played almost exclusively second base until shifting to center field literally a few weeks ago, and was back in the infield Thursday for the Rockies. However, he’s batted at least .290 in each of the last four seasons and has always shown good patience, giving him the on-base skills needed to thrive without much pop. If he plays, his speed makes him a big fantasy asset.
* Luke Hochevar turned heads in July by racking up 22 strikeouts versus zero walks over a two-start stretch, but has gone 0-6 with an 8.12 ERA in eight starts since then. At this point back-to-back strong starts look like the clear aberration for a guy who’s 12-22 with a 5.61 ERA overall, but the former No. 1 overall pick got a little reason for optimism this week after discovering that he’s been tipping pitches. We’ll see.
AL Quick Hits: Chien-Ming Wang (shoulder) said Wednesday that he hopes to begin playing catch in January, but his future with the Yankees remains uncertain … Jarrod Washburn returned to the rotation Thursday, allowing three runs in five innings … Gil Meche (shoulder) is unlikely to pitch again this year after going 6-10 with a 5.09 ERA in 23 starts … As expected, Carlos Pena underwent surgery Thursday on his broken fingers and won’t resume baseball activities for several months … Brian Bannister is seeking a second opinion on his injured shoulder, which likely isn’t good news … In his final start before being shut down for the season, Brett Cecil tossed six innings of two-run ball Thursday to finish at 7-4 with a 5.30 ERA … Switch-hitter Carlos Guillen (shoulder) will be limited to batting from the left side of the plate for the remainder of the year … David Robertson (elbow) has been shut down for two weeks, but hopes to come back in October … Alex Gordon homered Thursday as the last-place Royals swept the first-place Tigers.
NL Quick Hits: Joe Blanton was knocked around for eight runs Thursday, snapping a streak of 11 straight Quality Starts … Garrett Atkins went deep at home Thursday for the first time since April … Mark DeRosa said Wednesday that he’ll need offseason surgery to fix a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist … Troy Tulowitzki missed his third straight game with back stiffness Thursday and Ian Stewart also sat out with a back problem of his own … Adam Rosales went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Thursday and is now hitting below .200 in 216 at-bats … Ian Desmond homered, doubled, and knocked in four runs Thursday in his first career start, making quite a first impression with the Nationals … Lance Berkman homered Thursday night for the first time in 33 games dating back to July 9 … Brian McCann snapped his 0-for-17 slump Thursday with four hits … Jose Contreras exited Thursday’s start after straining his quadriceps running out a ground ball.
