Phils send Lidge home for elbow exam

DENVER - The stiffness in Brad Lidge's right elbow has become enough of a concern that the Phillies decided to send their closer back to Philadelphia for an examination on Thursday.

Lidge will not be placed on the disabled list yet, Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said Wednesday. He will be seen by team physician Michael Ciccotti in Philadelphia.

"We just want to make sure what's causing it," Proefrock said.

The latest development is a discouraging one for Lidge, who had off-season surgery on his right elbow to remove loose bodies. He had a cortisone shot in the elbow on March 30 and was activated from the disabled list on April 30.

In four appearances with the Phillies, Lidge has allowed one run in 31/3 innings with one save.

Proefrock said Ciccotti would decide whether Lidge needs an MRI exam on the elbow. Lidge said Tuesday he had not had an MRI since the surgery in the off-season.

Because of Tuesday's rainout and an off-day scheduled for Thursday, Proefrock said the timing was right to send Lidge home for the examination. However, the Phillies played yesterday against Colorado with only 24 players.

Proefrock said no player was flown out to join the team in case Lidge has to go on the disabled list.

Lidge was optimistic about the stiffness in his elbow before he played catch Tuesday. When he still experienced pain after throwing, he was visibly frustrated.

Lidge said Tuesday that head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan told him the stiffness was something that can happen after surgery to remove loose bodies (such as bone chips or spurs) from an elbow. He said he would become concerned only if the pain lingered.

It did.

"He felt good when he got here," Proefrock said. "After he threw, it didn't respond like he thought it would. We just thought after talking about it, the best thing to do was to send him back."

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