"It actually felt really good," Lidge said. "I kind of thought I was a hair tentative right at the beginning, then everything started to feel good and I was able to throw all my stuff."
Lidge threw more sliders than fastballs, and the velocity on his fastball topped out at 87 m.p.h., but he was encouraged nevertheless.
"One thing that was really hard for me to do before this game was throw my fastball down," Lidge said. "I kept leaving them up, and my shoulder feels to the point now where I can angle my fastball again, and really for me that's the most important part of my pitching.
"Obviously, command and velocity are good, but for me if I have good angle on my fastball down, then I can get people to swing at my slider, and that's one thing I was able to do today and I felt really good about that."
If Lidge feels fine physically Wednesday, he said, he expects to pitch again Thursday, when the Phillies play the Minnesota Twins.
The small step Lidge took Tuesday did give the closer a sense of relief.
"I wasn't concerned about it, but there is obviously some level of concern if something isn't feeling right," he said. "To have a good outing where I felt strong and comfortable is really a relief. Now I'll be able to comfortably get my outings in before the season opens, assuming everything feels good after this. Obviously that's a big step for me to get ready" for the April 1 season opener.
Lidge proved during the second half of last season that he could be effective without throwing his fastball at 95 m.p.h., but his velocity is down from the 90 m.p.h. he was throwing late last season. He believes some of his velocity will be restored by the adrenaline rush he'll get from throwing in games that mean something.
