July 3 -- LATE AND NOT-SO-GREAT

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ATLANTA -- If there was one area, above all others, that separated the Phillies from everyone else last season, it was the bullpen. More specifically, it was the back of the bullpen, the setup men and the closer, who safeguarded late-inning leads like the Secret Service protects the President.

When the Phillies led after seven innings, they were 65-9, thanks in extra-large measure to Ryan Madson (right, AP photo). He took over in late August for injured setup man Tom Gordon, threw with unprecedented high-90s velocity and posted a 0.63 ERA in his last 14 regular-season appearances.

And, when the Phillies led after eight innings, they were 79-0, making them one of three teams (the Yankees were 77-0, the Giants were 60-0) to remain undefeated in such situations. Brad Lidge, of course, was most responsible for that, going 41-for-41 in regular-season save opportunities and posting a miniscule 1.95 ERA. He had, quite literally, the perfect season.

This year, Madson and Lidge haven't been so perfect.

The Phillies are only 29-6 when leading after seven innings, 4-4 when tied after seven, 31-6 when leading after eight and 4-2 when tied after eight. Last night, at Turner Field, Madson allowed three eighth-inning runs on Brian McCann's leadoff single, Matt Diaz's one-out RBI double and Garret Anderson's two-run homer into the Atlanta bullpen, turning a 2-2 tie into a 5-2 Phillies loss and a Braves' three-game sweep.

As they return to the Bank tonight to open a three-game series against the Mets, the Phils are in a first-place tie with the Marlins, one game behind the third-place Mets and only two games behind the fourth-place Braves. Suddenly, it's anybody's game (well, anybody's except Washington) in the NL East. And while there's plenty of blame to go around in the Phillies' clubhouse (.209-hitting Jimmy Rollins and a starting rotation that doesn't pitch deep enough into games deserve their fair share), the fact is that if Madson and Lidge were having merely mediocre seasons, the Phillies might be leading the division by four or five games.

Instead, Lidge is 0-3 with a 7.57 ERA and six blown saves in 20 chances. Madson, meanwhile, after getting off to a great start, is 0-3 with a 10.80 ERA and three blown saves since June 16.

That's worth repeating: Between them, Madson-post June 16 and Lidge all season are 0-6 with nine -- nine! -- blown saves.

"You can't continue to lose games in the eighth and ninth inning," Charlie Manuel said last night.

This season, the Phillies certainly do. And while the late-inning struggle for Madson and Lidge might make for great drama on "The Pen," the relievers' six-episode reality TV show on MLB Network, it too often has been the root of the Phillies' demise.