Apparently serving as the Phillies’ closer is hazardous to your health.
Brad Lidge has been on the disabled list all season with a shoulder injury, shortly after replacing him in the ninth inning Jose Contreras was shut down with an elbow injury, and now Ryan Madson has been put on the shelf with a bruised hand.
Madson thrived in the closer role, converting 15-of-16 saves with a 2.03 ERA in 31 innings despite oft-repeated doubts about his ability to handle ninth-inning duties.
Contreras recently suffered a setback that will likely keep him out until August, but Lidge is nearing a return and could be ready before the All-Star break. Madson’s stint is backdated and while the numbness he’s experienced is scary it sounds like the Phillies don’t expect him to miss much time, so he could be back as soon as next week. In the meantime Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that “Antonio Bastardo likely becomes the new closer.”
