Ryan called Lidge a few weeks ago and asked him to attend the camp, in order to work on some mechanical issues he noticed in the closer's delivery during a 2006 season After his time at the Nolan Ryan Camp, what's the diagnosis? Here's Nolie: "[Lidge] has a tendency to want to rush. Because of it, he flies open and it changes his angle and changes his slider and he ends up leaving a lot of pitches up in the strike zone. I think he realizes, too, that he was doing that. I think there are just things we need to do to get him back in the groove where he was earlier in his career." Here's Brad: "Last year, when I was having the most problems, it was mostly from lack of control. That was due to the fact that I was flying open, and really, everybody knows I was doing it. I was having a really hard time making an adjustment. I was not able to do it for most of the season." Wow. I remember a couple of posters (cough...cough) saying this exact same thing during last season. No mention of Albert Pujols. No mention of tipped pitches. No armchair psychobabble b.s. Just mechanics. So what's the prognosis for this year? Brad: "Even in just these couple of days, I know we're a long way from the season, but right now at least I feel a little bit differently than I did the entire year last year. We made sure I slowed everything down and we're making sure I start with what I've been doing in the past. Sometimes, you have success and you get away from the things that you worked hard at. I don't want to say I wasn't working hard last year, but I wasn't remembering the little things that made my seasons good before. This year, I'm making sure I'm doing that." Purp: "He was much more in line with the plate. All his momentum was toward the plate. He wasn't spinning off. It was something Roger [Clemens] talked about with the young pitchers, particularly with the big guys, how they've got to get out and finish off, and if they do that they get that great movement. That's what [Lidge] had. He really had great movement on his pitches." Here's to a great '07 from Lidge...at least until the first sign of adversity & the chorus of "Pujols ruined him" commences anew.
Yep. You're right.. It's funny how the peanut gallery here on this forum is pretty quiet when he's converting 11 out of 13 chances down the stretch last year. But let him get in trouble and blow a save or two and all the haters come out.
Lidge's struggles last year endeared him to me. That and the fact the guy is hilarious. Went to the baseball dinner last year and he couldn't have been funnier or nicer. A VERY easy human being to root for.
I hope that's right. I have to admit; I've had concerns over his psyche at times, as I think it's natural to do given his 2005 postseason. However, what gives me hope is that the Pujols blast wasn't a random moment; in reality, you could see it coming well in advance. He struggled with control and falling behind in counts during the second half of the 2005 season, and when you do that, it's going to catch up with you. The Cubs (more specifically, Michael Barrett) rocked him in the 9th in one of the final games of the regular season. The Cardinals scored a run off him in Game 3 of the NLCS, and would've tied the game against him in Game 4 if not for miraculous defensive plays from Ensberg, Bruntlett and Everett. If he was absolutely dominant until that one moment and then it all unraveled, the psychological argument would seem correct. But if you look closer, it seems like the culmination of a lot of little things that started going wrong in the second half of the '05 season. That seems more like mechanical flaws and hopefully something that can be corrected with the right teaching.
Good post. You're right. I noticed that as well near the end of 2005 and the playoffs. He was still getting the saves, but he was in alot of jams and wasn't lights out like he was earlier.
ryan and lidge are both seemingly describing a text-book example of fatigue. your mechanics suffer when you're tired, as does your mental capacity. i think the guy was simply worn down in 05 and into 06. he had stacked two postseasons on top of two long regular seasons and then (stupidly, imo) followed that up by playing in the WBC. that's a heavy load to lift. frankly, he's lucky he didn't blow something out. i hope he took time off this winter; i really think that'll do the trick.
sounds awesome. I never thought Pujols was responsible, but after a tough 1st half last year, I thought that the recent string of failures may have crept into his head. Regardless, I'm hopeful! Not expecting a sub-3 ERA, but I'll be ecstatic if we can get a 3.5 performance out of him with his sick slider and electric fastball back in sync!
"11 of 13" shows how ridiculous the save statistic is. Lidge had a 6.75 ERA in September, and the fact that he saved 2 and 3 run leads by giving up only ~1 run per inning doesn't mean he was pitching well. I'd love to see him get it together again, but the fact is he sucked last season. I would be much more comfortable with Wheeler as our closer going into the season, and Lidge able to work on his mechanical problems in a less stressful situation, like long relief or mopup work. This team can't afford to lose games next season if he's still not on top of his game.
I hope he bounces back...he has the stuff, but he was wild last year, and he was tipping his pitches as well. If he nails down the end of the bullpen, this team could do it all... DD
ERA is deceptive for closers. You're talking about guys who only pitch one inning at a time. Lidge pitched about 11 innings total in September. I don't think conversions is bad as a stat...because it's the GOAL. The goal is to come in and get the save...to win the game. Anything else is gravy. Only in an era of crazy over-emphasized stats would we say save conversions aren't important or indicative of a player's success.
Hmmm...maybe the Astros can come up with some sort of situation where, for about 2 months, Brad Lidge could on a daily basis work on his mechanics, study video, and pitch in low pressure games where the final score does not matter. Not sure how they could make this happen, though. DD: you may be the only person on the planet that still believes that pitch-tipping mularkey.
I think conversions are an ok stat over the course of a season as a closer--because it gives everything a chance to even out. But in a short span (like a month)...given that Garner is trying to bring Lidge in for specific situations sometimes (i.e. not going to him when tied, not going to him for an extra 2/3 of an inning, not going to him as often when only a 1 run lead, etc.)...I think his # of conversions should have been high. Therefore, ERA, in this case, is relevant. Didn't Wheeler get number of the opportunities in close games?
It's kind of like a double edged sword (is that the right cliche?). When you're really good, people expect more from you so that when you make a mistake and prove you're NOT super-human, people think you suck.
That is exactly what I've been saying all along. I had hoped that he didn't even look at a baseball from the time the season ended until now. he should have hidden himself on a tiny island somewhere and just rested. Hopefully, he did something similar to that and will be ready to go this season. I think he will be back in full force and save 35-40 games with a sub 3 era.
This doesn't convince me that it wasn't all mental. Sure he had mechanical issues but I still believe they were brought on by psychological issues. Remember, he was overthrowing in pressure situations after his playoff failures the previous season.
The guy is a stud. The fact that after he'd blow every game, he talked to the media and answered all their questions showed he wasnt exactly baffled. He wasnt dwelling on any losses.......thats the first step in the right direction......
He started struggling, mechanically (ie - NOT lights out), the last few games of the 2005 season... before he ever had a playoff "failure."