Inside Dish: Lidge rising, Hafner falling

The Phillies have been raving about closer Brad Lidge, and with good reason: Lidge has started the year by not giving up an earned run in 17 straight innings and is 9-for-9 in save opportunities. This is the Lidge the Astros wish they'd seen the past couple of years, but Lidge says, mentally, he needed a change of scenery. Just as important to the righthander's turnaround, though, has been a change in Lidge's slider. He is better able to alter speeds with it, which helps him locate it better and makes it a less predictable pitch. . . . The chief concern about Indians DH Travis Hafner isn't so much his poor batting average; it's his inability to generate power. "You can see him pulling off the ball way too much," says one scout. "There's n...

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