With Brad Lidge out for a while, that apparently means Jose Contreras will be the Phillies' closer for a while, which leads Aaron Gleeman to write this:
Phillies Death Match: Contreras Vs. Madson
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↵Manuel tabbed Jose Contreras as the fill-in closer, bypassing Ryan Madson despite the fact that he's consistently been the Phillies' best reliever for the past four seasons because just about everyone involved with the team seems to believe he can't handle ninth-inning duties. Contreras successfully converted his first save chance of the season yesterday.
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↵Two things about this. Or three.
↵First, it’s quite possible that Madson is better than Contreras.
↵But can you really blame the Phillies for their skepticism?
↵Madson’s career numbers are better in the eighth inning than in the ninth. No, it’s not a huge difference but at least it’s not just a figment of Charlie Manuel’s fevered imagination.
↵Meanwhile, since becoming a full-time reliever last season with the Phillies, Contreras has been just short of excellent. His 3.22 ERA is nothing particularly special, but his 3.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio is highly acceptable.
↵I would be comfortable with either Madson or Contreras as my ninth-inning guy (if I have to have one of those). I suspect Charlie Manuel would be, too. But I can’t blame him for being slightly more comfortable with Contreras.
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