It has been a precipitous fall for Myers. Expected to strengthen the Phillies' rotation when he returned to his role as a starter before the season, he went 3-9 with a 5.84 ERA and allowed a majors-leading 24 home runs in 17 starts, an alarming lack of success that shattered his confidence and left his mechanics in disarray. The Phillies are 4-13 in Myers' starts, including 1-11 in his last 12.

So, the Phils approached Myers on Monday evening with a drastic idea: Go to Class AAA Lehigh Valley to work out his problems away from the major league spotlight.

And, by noon Tuesday, Myers agreed.

"We don't look at it as a demotion," pitching coach Rich Dubee said. "We look at it as an opportunity to get him right. He was against it at first. When he thought about it, probably talked to a few other people, he realized he's a big part of this club. He's a guy we need pitching the right way. And I think he finally came to the conclusion that this was best for him."

Myers had the right to decline the assignment by virtue of his five-plus years of major league service. He is expected to start Wednesday night for Lehigh Valley against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at Coca Cola Park in Allentown, Pa.

After Myers' last start, when he allowed five runs and failed to record an out in the third inning Friday night in Texas, the Phillies concluded they couldn't keep him in the rotation. And after deliberating Monday, they decided that optioning him to the minors would be a better solution than moving him to the bullpen.

There's less urgency to win at Lehigh Valley, and returning Myers to the bullpen would've raised the question of whether he should stay there. Myers recorded 21 saves last season and grew enamored with being a closer. The Phillies moved him back to the rotation in November after trading for closer Brad Lidge.

"There's no routine in the bullpen," GM Pat Gillick said. "To work on the things Brett needs to work on, he's better off in a controlled situation."

Said Dubee, "We thought it was our one chance to get him turned around. He can go down there and get out of this environment and pitch stress-free, just get away from being under a microscope and supposedly having to be an ace and get his mind right and his delivery right."

PHILLIES 8, BRAVES 3: Kyle Kendrick threw six strong innings and Shane Victorino homered and collected four RBIs to lift the Phillies to a victory in the opener of a three-game series at Atlanta. After going 3-9 during a stretch of interleague play, the Phillies returned to the site of their last series victory nearly a month ago and collected 14 hits, more than in any game since a 21-hit outburst June 13 in St. Louis. Pat Burrell homered in the second inning, and Geoff Jenkins snapped an 0-for-27 slump with a pair of hits. Kendrick shut out the Braves for six innings before allowing three runs in the third.