The Philadelphia Phillies have gotten off to notoriously slow starts these past few April’s and now before spring training games have begun the team has lost it’s full-time closer, Brad Lidge for at least three weeks. That’s the best case scenario but that would see him miss the rest of spring training and then he would have to go on a conditioning assignment and the best case scenario might see him playing with the Phillies by mid-April, and that’s assuming that this knee can hold up since this is the second operation that he has needed on it since last October.

The Phillies aren’t going to move current starter Brett Myers back into the bullpen, even though he was pretty successful last season, instead they will turn to Tom “Flash” Gordon, who is currently 39-years-old. Two years ago he had 34 saves but last season he had six, in a fill-in role, and his ERA was 4.73 and his WHIP (1.32) was the worst that he has posted since 2002. In sports the phrase “you aren’t getting older, you are getting better” doesn’t apply to anybody over the age of 35 unless they are named in a report.

Gordon had a bad shoulder last season and he was limited to just 40 innings. Will he be better this season? Perhaps, but he is striking out less batters, walking more, and he’s getting older. Jamie Moyer is a definite freak of nature being able to put in solid efforts in at the age of 45 (the oldest pitcher in the game), but to expect the same out of Gordon, at a younger age in a more demanding position, is a tall order.

The Phillies have improved their team to the point where they might be the team to beat in the East but if their bullpen is shaky in April, then they will have to go on a tear again late in the season, in order to defend their Eastern division title, but lets face it, it’s hard to repeat these days.

Lidge is 31 so he should be able to bounce back from this provided that the injury is no worse than is being reported, and the team will have a better idea of what they have to deal with, when he starts his rehab.

Will Pat Gillick stand pat in this case? He probably will but he should try to get a younger arm in the pen who is capable of closing in case they’ve received damaged goods from the Astros. Call it an insurance policy at this point. If Gordon should have an issue while Lidge is out then the team might have to revisit Myers in the pen for a short time. If Kris Benson can make the team then they will have some extra depth in the starting rotation and that would give them some flexibility but if they are smart they will look for another setup man quickly just in case. It could be the difference is seeing them repeat or come up short.