Yesterday the Phillies lost another sad outing. But this time it had nothing to do with starting pitching; this time the man who started the game did his job. Brett Myers: Thank you.
Slowly but surely, Myers is resting himself back to normal territory. His ERA lowered to 4.81, which is the first somewhat respectable starter ERA the Phillies have had in 2009 (okay, his 4.83 ERA after losing to Washington wasn’t bad either). In his start against Altanta he allowed just five hits (a season best) and, best yet, no home runs. He also struck out six, and he’s consistently breaking that number. These are little victories, but they are victories.
Best of all, Myers looked composed. After giving up a hit or walking a batter, or even hitting (or not hitting) a batter, Myers shook off the issue and threw strikes. His fastball landed low. His breaking stuff was hitting all corners. This was the Myers we watched in late 2008. This is the Myers we need in 2009.
Right now it’s the offense slumping. It’s imperative that while this occurs, the pitching staff steps up. Cole Hamels’ dominating start Friday was encouraging; this outing by Myers was even more encouraging. It shows that maybe the Phillies have their top two back in order and there is reason to put faith in the rotation, after all.
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