I say keep running Lidge out of there. If he gives up enough leads, he'll hang himself anyway. If not, then he'll work out of that funk.
holy jesus. Garner with potentially the worst and best decisions of the year...all within 10 minutes.
Mix in the good managing (squeeze on the right pitch) with the bad managing (bringing in mediocre lefties for the sake of having the lefty-lefty matchup)... u get Garner (the only guy who manages as much by feel, as he does by robotic text-book methods... in the same game).
Call me bloodthirsty or whatever, but Lidge is looking better out there...It seems like his location is getting better...
A nice quiet save with no adventure...this should help Lidge get back on track. Then again, we've said this before. Wish nothing but the best for the guy though.
Nice squeeze by Adam for the insurance (well nice double for Preston and sacrifice bunt by Brad too). Nice small ball from the bottom half of the lineup!!! Lidge didn't suck, which made up for Miller's slider which stayed up in the wheel house.
IF Lidge gets his control/confidence issues squared away, this team has a real chance to make a nice push for the playoffs. Having that hammer in the pen is such a confidence boost for the team. A stronger Lidge makes Wheeler and Qualls better and more effective as teams try to press to avoid facing Lidge when they're behind. If Lidge is less than dominant, hitters will always think they have a shot. Strong pitching can carry this team like it did last year. The two biggest keys for the stretch run are going to be Lidge and what the team does with Ensberg. 3-3 through six games of a fairly tough road trip (who am I kidding, anytime the Astros leave MMP, it's a tough road trip) is cause for optimism. This team makes its hay at home, so playing at or near .500 on the road is a big plus. It may be gradual, but the run has begun. Let's hope the momentum continues to build through the end of July leading into August. August can be a really BIG month for the Astros with 7 games against the Pirates and Brewers and three a piece with the Cubs and Reds.
great win...Lidge needed that and I hope he pysched for the rest of the season...It's all in his head...
the cubs are the very definition of impatient hitters. they swung at anything within 5 feet of the strike zone. jacque jones' at bat in the 9th was the worst AB i've seen in a very long time.
