the strikes are there... most strikeouts of any reliever in the league last year. even IF lidge struggles he will be the closer for at least a month and a half.
How bad was Lidge strugging before the postseason? It wasnt that dramatic. He went an entire season with an era of over 5 (2006) and before his era was 1.90 and 2.29. Im not saying Pujols is 100% the factor but you cant tell me that doesnt go through his mind and that it hasnt had anything to do with his struggle since. I just hope the guy doesnt turn into Mitch Williams.
You can't point to a particular event and say it had a profound impact and caused a guy to start sucking, when he in fact started sucking two weeks before that event. In the Pujols game, he blew a save. He almost blew one the night before as well except for great defense by the Astros. And he struggled in the previous game from that. And he blew one a week before that. It wasn't a series-ending loss or anything. Two days later, we won again and went to the World Series. What makes you think that one HR caused the damage as opposed to anything else, especially since it was meaningless in the grand scheme of things except for extending a series by 1 game?
Nobody knows the exact truth but Lidge himself but IMO i think it did mess with his mind a little. No matter what we think is bothering him we all can agree that he has been terrible for awhile now and is hurting the team. I wasnt too pissed about Qualls giving up that 2 run because he sucks anyway but when a player like Lidge starts to suck this bad then it concerns me alot.
My effing playstation controller is cracked...still works though. And coke splashed against my window. EDIT I was actually more calm than I thought...I think its because I wasnt shocked. I dont think its really settled in yet. I may wake up in the middle of the night and do some damage.
lmao same here, im not as pissed as i imagined, but im going to wake up tomorrow morning with a bitter taste in my mouth..
what a great pic..... watching lidge is just comical now...i want him to stay in houston. its funny to me
Qualls sucks more than Lidge believe it or not, it was that way all last year too. Qualls always came in non-game situations and mowed 'em down, but when he came in with a small lead he would ALWAYS blow it. I yelled that all year last year everytime he did it. Lidge sucks. Qualls sucks worse.
Yeah, he was horrible in close games. That's how he ended up with a 7-3 record. You should go back and look at his actual results, instead of simply your memory of his failures.
He had 6 blown saves... for a SET UP guy, with less overall save opportunities and rarely a chance in the 9th inning, that's unheard of and just as (if not more so) pathetic. Lidge's issues are a sick combination of mentality, physicality, and flat-out cursed luck.... but at least he was at one point the best in the game (even though that should never be the excuse for continuing to trot him out there). Qualls was never the best set-up guy in the game, and he's been struggling with consistency his whole career. If he keeps the ball down, he's amazing... when he lets it hang up its almost a HR or XBH every single time. No middle ground. The Estrada era is earning nearer.
It's not unheard of - it happens all the time. If he comes in during the 7th or 8th and gives up the lead, he gets a blown save. Almost all set up guys have several blown saves and very few saves. Unfortunately, you can get a blown save in a non-save opportunity as a setup guy.
