As the Phils get ready for a big series with the Mets, they did make a move on Brad Lidge, placing him on the 15-day DL with a sprained knee. It’s become fashionable for teams to “create” an injury when a veteran is struggling, but here’s 
hoping (in a weird way) that there is actually something wrong with Lidge’s knee and that he can come back as good as ever in 2 or 3 weeks.
In a somewhat perplexing move, the Phils called up journeyman backup catcher Paul Bako to take Lidge’s spot on the roster. Now, they were carrying an extra pitcher, so it’s not surprising that they would replace Lidge with a position player, but why a third catcher on the roster? Plus, Bako bats lefty and the Phils could obviously use another right-handed bat off the bench. I guess the thinking is that having Bako frees up Chris Coste to pinch-hit, but you would think Charlie would appreciate a little more flexibility with his bench than he’ll have with two catchers sitting there. In any event, I don’t think Bako will be around for too long. The existence of this website doesn’t bode well for the Paul Bako era in Philadelphia.
We get Johan tonight. A win would be HUGE.
Well, on the first day of the 15-day DL stint, the loss of Lidge showed its ugly head. With Lidge out, everone else slides up a role. I don’t think there is a big falloff from Lidge to Madsen in the 9th or Madsen to Romero in the 8th, but we saw a potentially big falloff with Romero to Condrey/Durbin in the 7th last night. Now, Condrey has actually been really good this year, but is he ready for the all-important Romero role? He wasn’t last night. Instead of watching the end of the game difference with and without Lidge, let’s keep an eye on the 6th and 7th innings for the next 2 weeks.
Doogan, I heard a rumor that might speak to why they brought up Bako. Apparently, the Phillies and Rockies are in trade discussions, with any deal involving the moving of Chris Coste to Colorado. Apparently, the most likely target of the Phils affections is Ryan Spilborghs, but it could also be Brad Hawpe or Jason Marquis. Clearly, it would involve Coste plus something else. Just something to keep an eye on. Personally, if we can get ANY value for Coste, do it! We all know my feelings on the 31-year old rookie…baseball teams don’t make 13-year mistakes.