Now we know why the Phillies used Jose Contreras for a third consecutive appearance last night. Brad Lidge was not ready to go.
In the Postgame wrap, I wondered out loud why a 38-year old Contreras would be used so heavily so soon, but the answer is that Lidge felt stiffness in his elbow, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.
Lidge gave an attempt at optimism, saying he hopes this won’t last long, but with his track record, it’s impossible to rule anything out. On the bright side, he had been pitching well up to this point, so maybe it’s just general soreness brought on by a new workload. If it isn’t, the Phillies could be in for a world more of hurt in a bullpen already missing Ryan Madson, and already dealing with a rusty J.C. Romero.
The pen looked like it was rolling along, yet here is another stumbling block. Let’s hope this one doesn’t last eight weeks.
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