Phillies Notes: Phillies' bullpen all sorted out, perhaps

Few have held defined roles within the Phillies' bullpen this season. Even so, with the starting pitchers averaging 61/3 innings per start and middle relievers throwing in different situations, the later innings have been a strong point.

Now the back of the bullpen finally has Brad Lidge back as its closer.

"So you've got five guys to throw two innings," righthander Danys Baez said.

It's an advantage the Phillies had hoped for when reshaping the bullpen in the off-season. Few would have predicted the manner in which it has developed.

As the first weeks of the 2010 season played out and injuries persisted, the bullpen could have been an even bigger problem than it was perceived to be.

Without their top two relievers - Lidge and Ryan Madson - for much of the season, manager Charlie Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee decided roles on the fly. It worked.

Those five guys - Lidge, Baez, Jose Contreras, Chad Durbin, and J.C. Romero - have combined for a 2.72 ERA.

All five have pitched in various roles, generally with the same success.

"The good thing about it is, the other bench, they know that," Baez said. "They know how effective our bullpen is. It puts pressure on them to do something early."

Thanks to the starters' going deep, the Phillies' bullpen has pitched the fewest innings in the majors - 1312/3 innings. And that's even counting when the bullpen had to throw 71/3 innings June 1 after Cole Hamels' start was shortened by a rain delay.

If Lidge's first save since returning from the disabled list - an impressive 1-2-3 inning Friday against San Diego - is any indication, the Phillies can shift all of their relievers back.

"What it does is it gives us depth. It takes us to a place where we can set our bullpen up," Manuel said of having Lidge back. "I think right now with where we're at, we can pretty much line up our seventh- and eighth-inning guys and our multiple-inning guys.

"We have a chance to organize our bullpen now. Before, we kind of went on mixing and matching, on feel."

Durbin said the fact that Baez, Contreras, and he are all former starters allows them to be more than just situational relievers. The depth will pay off, he said.

"It gives us leverage to match up in the sixth, whereas you might have had to wait until the seventh," Durbin said. "We don't have to throw guys two or three innings to cover space."

No rest for Howard