Rosenthal speaks reasonably re: Lidge

[MusicMan]

Also some Clemens discussion, here.

Rather than trade Lidge, the Astros want to restore his confidence. Their plan is to give him more opportunities to face hitters, perhaps even in multi-inning appearances.

"He'll get back to where he was before. He's just not at that point yet," Astros G.M. Tim Purpura says. "Mentally, physically, emotionally, it's all wrapped up together. There's probably a lot of frustration there, too."

Trading Lidge isn't as simple as it might appear. His salary this season is $5.35 million, and he stands to get a raise in his final year of arbitration before becoming eligible for free agency.

Thus, he would make little sense for a rebuilding team such as the Devil Rays unless he later could be flipped for prospects. Frankly, even for a high-payroll club, Lidge would be an expensive gamble.

"Sharks swim when there's blood in the water," Purpura says. "But we're not going to do anything stupid."

It's more sensible to salvage Lidge.

"His cutter right now is better than his slider," one rival scout says. "His slider used to look like a split. Now it backs up like a slurve."

[Noe]

Scout observation:

"His cutter right now is better than his slider," one rival scout says. "His slider used to look like a split. Now it backs up like a slurve."

Man, did this scout nail it or what!  EGGSZACTLY!

[JimR]

Scout observation:

"His cutter right now is better than his slider," one rival scout says. "His slider used to look like a split. Now it backs up like a slurve."

Man, did this scout nail it or what!  EGGSZACTLY!

KR and Lakey are very close friends. might be him.

[Noe]

Gordon knows of what he speaks.  Lidge looks totally at ease throwing his cutter and seems to be thinking way too much about his mechanics on the slider.  Right now, his cutter is coming along nicely.  If infielders will stop booting the ball around when Lidge induces the groundball, he'd be much better off.

The backup slider is a pitch that Lidge leaves over the plate quite often, but when he throws it well, it has the biting action downward enough to cause the swing and a miss.  It looks for all the world like a slurve (slider with curveball action) to me.  If he gets a good feel for that pitch to throw for strikes, his 97 mph four seamer will become a very good pitch for him because no one will be sitting dead red all the time on him again.

[homer]

The backup slider is a pitch that Lidge leaves over the plate quite often, but when he throws it well, it has the biting action downward enough to cause the swing and a miss.  It looks for all the world like a slurve (slider with curveball action) to me.

Kind of like a 12-6 slider.

[pravata]

Kind of like a 12-6 slider.

He threw something at Rowand on Sat. for ball 4 that just dropped straight down.  I think Rowand was completely fooled by it because he flinched and froze.  Ump called it a ball.  Threw it again at the lefthanded Nunez and he swung right over it.

[utastro]

Kind of like a 12-6 slider.

Deja vu.

[JaneDoe]

He threw something at Rowand on Sat. 

Maybe a chicken sandwich?

[DVauthrin]

Maybe a chicken sandwich?

since it was philly, i'm thinking a cheesesteak myself.

[pravata]

Maybe a chicken sandwich?

As long as it's not a meatball sandwich.  Garner is on record wishing everyone would just shut up about it,

"He's conscientious," Garner said of Lidge. "As I had said earlier, I think it's time for him to say to a few of you folks, 'I've talked about this enough. I have work to do.' You got to follow a story, but you can't keep answering the thing from Pujols. And most of this stems from that moment and what's carried on."
link

Garner's not saying it's the Pujol's Madness, he's saying it's all the pestering Lidge about whether he has the Pujol's Madness.  Of course all this blather about the details of his actual pitches is just too complicated for most writers and readers to bother their pretty heads over.