Quietly, Brett Myers has solidified himself as the Phillies’ most reliable starter. Specifically in his last three starts, Myers has allowed six earned runs in 21 innings, walking just four. And each of the last five runs he’s allowed have been solo home runs. Not too shabby, really.
Early in last night’s win, AJ Burnett plunked Chase Utley, likely not an intentional pitch. Myers still responded, throwing behind Derek Jeter to lead off the Yankees’ first. It set a tone for the rest of the game — Myers won’t back down, especially against the mighty Yankees. And the Phillies weren’t scared of the spotlight.
“I think that’s what we need to do as team,” Myers said. “I think everybody protects each other on a team and, you know, I mean it’s part of the game. I mean it’s kind of like eye for an eye.”
It was reminiscent of Myers’ performance late last season. During that brilliant stretch, Myers took authority in his starts, dictating the pace of the game and showing his swagger through pitching. Solo homers be damned, Myers’ character was strong last night — painting the zone, dropping in the electric curve, moving about the infield collecting ground balls. That’s the Myers that can win 20 games.
Tim MalcolmTim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.
