Lidge????

[labrat3001]

Do you think he should be traded? How many games has he blown this year? Do we have a closer to bring up from the minors? I'm getting tired of watching him blow games in the last inning!

[Pavel]

He's not going anywhere. First of all we don't have a replacement for him. Second his trade value is at an all time low right now.

[lamearm]

How many games has he blown this year?

Lidge has blown 4 saves this season. In a quick comparison, Isringhausen is 26-33, Turnbow is 23-30, Hoffman is 25-27, Gordon is 21-23 and a guy by the name of Wagner is 18-22. Now, why would you trade this guy?

[Pavel]

It is kind of sad to think that he would have been at the center of what the Astros would have had to give up to acquire Tejada. That trade sounded good at the time and even better now.

[plask_stirlac]

Well they're offering him to Tejada again, I'd assume.

[Da Penguin]

They said the rangers offered them wilkerson and barajas and haven't heard back....probably won't happen...though it would be nice having lidge

[nolanryan5714]

I'm very sad and disappointed for Brad this season. As of 8/01, he has 23 of 27 save opportunities completed, which isn't BAD - it's just not what he's capable of.

I don't know what the answer is, but I believe it's 1/3 confidence lost (Pujols homer last postseason), 1/3 control loss, and 1/3 being "figured out" by the league.

Hmmmph. :(

[TonyStarks]

Maybe Houston should move him to another role temporarily until he regains his confidence. Put him on the DL; move him to 6th Inning guy maybe even spot start him.

[Redfoot]

Despite the bloated ERA and WHIP, his peripherals are still there: 12.77 K/9, 1.12 G/F. His K:BB is down, but I suspect this is just going to be a bad year for Lidge and he'll rebound in 2007. Not every closer is blessed with Mariano Rivera type consistency. In fact, no closer but Mariano is.

[warrior22]

he did it again tonight.....

[strosfan]

I am just sick for Lidge - every time someone gets up in the bullpen to warm-up, I pray it's not Lidge. Sad to say, but I think he's finished with his success here in Houston. It has totally gone to his head now and for him to get back on track - he needs to go to another team.

I miss the Pre-Albert Lidge.

[EvanAparra]

Lidge has blown 4 saves this season. In a quick comparison, Isringhausen is 26-33, Turnbow is 23-30, Hoffman is 25-27, Gordon is 21-23 and a guy by the name of Wagner is 18-22. Now, why would you trade this guy?

Maybe because his ERA is huge and those stats dont take into account the times hes been pulled in the ninth after giving up hits/walks.

[PopTop]

ERA is highly overrated when it comes to evaluating closers, in my opinion. You could have a 9.00 ERA, never blow a save and be effective at your job. You might not be a great pitcher in comparison to others, but it wouldn't mean you weren't doing the job you were asked to do.

Lidge's troubles have been many this season. Hard for me to know how much of it is carry-over from last year's postseason since I'm neither a pyschiatrist nor a mind reader. But it's obivious that at least some of his problems have been related to mechanics and/or command of his slider. If you're only reading boxscores or watching the 15-second highlights the talking heads are showing at ESPN, you aren't seeing it all.

[EvanAparra]

Well, im not reading boxscores, ive been at games that he has been removed it because he cant locate... I'd like to see ONE closer who had an ERA 9.00 and have been effective in that season. I doubt it has ever happened.... ERA can be misleading, but so can save percentage...No doubt Jonathan Papelbon has pitched better than lidge this year, yet im pretty sure hes blown more saves.... Papelbon has been brought in in the 8th with a runner on 3rd, gives up a sec fly, and blows the save....Lidge is brought in to start the 9th, gives up 2 walks, a couple hits, and blows the save... Thats pretty much how its gone all year... Saves/Save opportunities dont tell the story either, as lidge has been removed on more than one occasion before he finished blowing the game....either letting qualls or wheeler take the blown save, or them getting brad off the hook.

[PopTop]

My point was you can't look at any single column of numbers to determine if a player is doing their job. Lidge has obviously not been as sharp as he was up until Game 5 of the NLCS, the most demoralizing Astros loss I've attended over the 44+ seasons now that I've been going to their games.

But the simple fact is that, with the possible exception of Clemens who hasn't been with the club the entire season, the pitching staff as a whole, and not just Lidge, has failed to perform as it did in 2005. The 100 or so extra runs the club has allowed up to this point in 2006 compared to '05 aren't all charged to Lidge. His failures have simply been magnified because of the position he's in.

[EvanAparra]

Well, other than Oswalt, i agree with you about the pitching staff failing. But those are the things that come with the position...You get magnified glory if you do well, and you get ragged on when you fail, i cant feel sorry for him now, as he was the toast of the town when doing well.... I just dont think he should be given a pass, or even be talked about as still having a good season, because anyone that has watched the astros all year knows that he has not.

[Blackout]

clemens and oswalt have had great years (or half years)

[KissMyAstros]

I'm probably in the minority, but I like Lidge! I hope he stays and can find a way to turn it around!