Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said that Brad Lidge will be unavailable until at least Friday due to a sore elbow.

Ryan Madson stayed on in the ninth inning after blowing the save in the top of the eighth and now we know why. Lidge underwent elbow surgery last November, so there is real reason to be concerned here. Madson will handle save chances in his absence.

Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless ninth inning Monday in nailing down his 21st save of the season.

He gave up a two-out single to Emilio Bonifacio but also struck out a pair of hitters. Lidge doesn't have the velocity he used to, and his slider isn't as sharp, but he's found a way to make what he has work lately, as he has given up just one earned run since the beginning of August, and that run came home on a balk. He holds a 3.38 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 rate this season.

Brad Lidge blew his fifth save by giving up a run in the ninth Friday against the Padres.

The tying run came on a balk, which followed an intentional walk and a HBP to load the bases. Lidge had gone 10 straight appearances this month without allowing a run, so his job is more secure than it's been at any point since 2008.

Brad Lidge converted his seventh straight save by holding a 1-0 lead against the Nationals on Friday night.

Lidge has gotten back to his "lights out" form over the last three weeks. He's throwing his slider for strikes and is looking like he'll hold the closer's job firmly for the rest of the season. Ryan Madson is worth hanging onto in deeper formats as an excellent setup man, but don't expect any saves.

Brad Lidge threw a perfect inning Wednesday, striking out two batters on the way to his 15th save of the season.

Don't look now, but Lidge has actually pitched really well lately, giving up only two hits, not walking a batter and striking out six over his last 5 1/3 innings, converting all five of his save chances in the process. However, while he is still getting his strikeouts this season, he is walking a lot of batters and giving up a lot of hits. He still makes out stomachs churn even when he's on a mini-hot streak like he is now.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel offered a vote of confidence for closer Brad Lidge after Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Lidge served up a walkoff three-run homer to Nats third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on Saturday for his fourth blown save of the season. But he rallied back Sunday with a perfect inning and earned his 11th successful save of the year. "Believe me, I'll never let my heart overrule the fact that we're a team. I want what's best for the team," Manuel told reporters Sunday. "Today was a good start. Now he's got to have two or three games in a row and run a clean slate. And then I think he may be all right. Because he's very capable."

Brad Lidge served up a walkoff three-run homer to Ryan Zimmerman in the ninth inning Saturday as the Phillies fell to the Nationals.

Roy Oswalt was a nice addition, but the Phils haven't looked like a playoff team this season and the wheels really fell off on Saturday night. First Joe Blanton allowed four earned runs to a lowly Nationals lineup, then Lidge failed to close out a one-run lead in the ninth. He has a 5.57 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP this season with only 10 saves in 14 chances.

Brad Lidge picked up his 10th save Monday despite allowing a two-run homer in the top of the ninth against the Rockies.

Lidge gave up a leadoff double to Miguel Olivo and a two-out homer to Seth Smith, cutting Philadelphia's lead from three to one. That wasn't the end of it, either. Jonathan Herrera followed with a walk, and Carlos Gonzalez singled. After a wild pitch advanced both runners, Jason Giambi was intentionally walked. That loaded the bases, but Lidge got out of the jam when Ryan Spilborghs grounded one back to the pitcher. He's now converted five straight save chances after blowing two in a row. Since he threw 35 pitches today and also worked an inning yesterday, he'll probably get Tuesday off, which could lead to a save chance for Jose Contreras.

Brad Lidge recorded his eighth save with a scoreless 11th inning Thursday against the Cardinals.

Lidge has pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings over his last four appearances, earning saves in three of them. His job should hardly be considered secure -- he blew three of his previous four chances -- but he doesn't have any competition for saves at the moment.

Brad Lidge blew another save on Tuesday night, this time giving up a dramatic, game-tying three-run homer to Joey Votto in the bottom of the ninth inning.

It's not as bad as it sounds. First off, Lidge ending up stealing the win when the Phillies won it in the 10th. In addition, he was robbed by some very questionable calls from home plate umpire C.B. Buckner. And finally, he got the first two batters of in the inning out impressively before getting into trouble. Manager Charlie Manuel ended up getting tossed for arguing balls and strikes, and he won't completely blame Lidge for this implosion.

Brad Lidge notched his fourth save of the season by recording two outs in the ninth inning against the Red Sox today.

Lidge did give up a single to Daniel Nava to score a run, but it was an inherited runner and not charged to him. The tying run then stepped to the plate, but Lidge retired Marco Scutaro to end the game. Lidge's fortunes are known to turn at the drop of a hat, but he's off to an excellent start with four saves and one run allowed in eight innings.

Brad Lidge earned his third save of the season by escaping a bases-loaded jam to toss a scoreless ninth inning against the Marlins on Tuesday.

Lidge entered with a 10-8 lead and immediately allowed a single to Hanley Ramirez. He struck out the next two batters, but walked Cody Ross and allowed a single to Mike Stanton to load the bases. Lidge coaxed an infield pop out from Ronnie Paulino to end the game, however. Lidge's reputation is in tatters after his health and performance issues the last two years, but he has actually produced a stellar 1.23 ERA and 0.95 WHIP when he has been healthy this year. He is the undisputed closer in Philadelphia and is a buy-low candidate for fantasy owners.

Brad Lidge worked a dominant ninth inning against the Padres Friday night to earn his first save since coming off the DL.

It looked like the 2008 version of Lidge, who protected a one-run lead. He got David Eckstein to ground out before striking out Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley with nasty sliders. Jose Contreras and J.C. Romero combined on a very shaky eighth inning, making it clear that Lidge is back in the closers role. It's hard to predict how long he'll be healthy or effective, but for now Lidge should be in lineups in all formats.

Phillies activated RHP Brad Lidge from the disabled list.

Lidge surprisingly needed only 20 days to rehab his most recent elbow injury. He's unlikely to return to ninth inning duties immediately, considering that Jose Contreras has done well in the role, but it could definitely happen down the line. For now he has the same value that a setup man would.

Brad Lidge (elbow) is hoping to return to the Phillies on Monday.

Lidge threw a successful bullpen session before Thursday's game at Citi Field and will make a rehab appearance at Single-A Clearwater on Saturday. If everything runs smoothly, he could be activated on Monday. Jose Contreras will continue to work the ninth inning for the Phillies until Lidge proves he's capable of getting batters out. And that could take a while.

Brad Lidge (elbow) successfully completed a bullpen session on Tuesday.

He threw 25 pitches, all of them fastballs. Lidge plans to mix in some of his secondary stuff during another throwing session on Thursday before going out on a minor league rehab assignment. He still hopes to return next week.

Brad Lidge (elbow) hopes to return to the Phillies' bullpen in early June.

Lidge will throw two more bullpen sessions this week before heading out on a rehab assignment next weekend. It's an aggressive timetable, but if the cortisone shot he received last week does it's job, he really could be back sooner rather than later.

Brad Lidge (elbow) played catch Saturday for a second consecutive day.

Lidge threw from 60 feet Friday then 60 feet Saturday in what can only be described as a major step in his recovery from an inflamed right elbow. He should be cleared to throw a bullpen session shortly and could return to the Phillies' bullpen by early June if setbacks are avoided.

Brad Lidge reported no soreness in his elbow after playing catch for this first time since a cortisone shot earlier this week.

It's the first time he had thrown in 10 days. "We're just going day-to-day right now, to be honest -- they haven't told me anything," said Lidge. "Today was the first day and it went good. I know tomorrow we're going to stretch it out a little bit. They'll tell me what I'm doing on Sunday after tomorrow." It's not known if he'll be activated from the disabled list when eligible on Tuesday.

Brad Lidge (elbow) thinks a cortisone shot from Monday is working.

Lidge said swelling from the inflammation in his elbow has begun to subside. He plans to meet with team physician Michael Ciccotti on Thursday. If he gets the go-ahead, Lidge said he expects to resume throwing on Friday.