
The Washington Nationals came to a one-year deal with right-handed reliever Brad Lidge on Thursday afternoon. Lidge was 0-2 with a 1.40 ERA in 25 appearances for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2011. He spent four years with that filthy organization so he will have to be put through decontamination. Nats Press Release:
The Washington Nationals today agreed to terms with right-handed relief pitcher Brad Lidge on a one-year contract. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
One of the game’s most accomplished active relievers, Lidge is 26-31 with 67 holds, 223 saves and a 3.44 ERA (227 ER/594.0 IP) in 592 career games/one start. In 10 seasons with the Phillies (2008-11) and Astros (2002-07), Lidge has fanned over 31 percent of all batters faced and his strikeout rate of 12.0 per 9.0 innings is the highest all-time among pitchers to throw at least 500 big league innings.
I hope this isn’t the Nationals trying to prove the trickle down theory by taking yet another former Phillies player, but damn if they don’t need bullpen help. The NQ has been wondering when Mike Rizzo was going to pay attention to a pen that really only has Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen as the only reliable options. Lidge will work better than most.
Of course, like myself, most remember Lidge from that infamous 2005 NLCS game where he gave up 3-run home run to Albert Pujols in Game 5. I had never seen a man’s soul taken away from him up until that point and it was crushing. He finally recovered years later, but that was after visiting with several witch doctors and bathing himself in magic salts for two years.
Welcome to the fold, Lidge.
Sorry the NQ didn’t jump all over this until this morning. Yesterday, just as the news broke an old family friend came stomping up the mountain by the name of Burl Logan. Burl came bearing five pounds of hamburger meat and a sixer of Steel Reserve. You can imagine the type of night we had here at the Lodge.
“Wild, dangerous and mythical,” is what Rolling Stone called it.







