So much for easing him back in. Just two days after it appeared he was in line for a save opportunity against the Braves, Lidge tossed a perfect ninth inning in a 3-2 victory over the Padres on Friday night.
It was Lidge’s first save since his return from the disabled list on Monday and just his second of the season. It helped preserve Roy Halladay’s eighth win of the year and ended a four-game losing streak for the Fightins.
Lidge looked very sharp, throwing eight of 11 pitches for strikes while sitting down Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley on back-to-back strikeouts to end it. According to Brooks Baseball, he topped out at over 94 mph on his heater, but he was most impressive with his once-dominant slider. If he can be effective with that pitch on a regular basis, it will obviously be a very good sign for the Phillies.