For all the reasons the Phillies have to be optimistic about their chances of reaching the postseason -- from Jimmy Rollins' resurgence to Ryan Howard's September power surge -- the biggest is the contribution Brett Myers has made to a starting rotation that already features ace left-hander Cole Hamels and ageless lefty Jamie Moyer.
"I feel like we've got three big pitchers who can keep the game close," manager Charlie Manuel said Sunday night after the Phillies moved into a tie for the wild-card lead and drew within 1-1/2 games of the division-leading Mets. "If we can score five runs a night from here on out, we'll be OK." Myers hasn't even needed that many.
He showed promise with a solid seven-inning performance July 29 at Washington and his quick temper returned Aug. 9 when Manuel dared remove him in the eighth inning against the Pirates. He tossed a complete-game shutout Aug. 20 against the Nationals, blanked the Dodgers for seven innings Aug. 25 and shut out the Mets for eight innings Sept. 5.
But his tour de force may have come Sunday night in the second game of a doubleheader. Pitching on only three days of rest, he allowed one run on two hits in a dominating 95-pitch complete-game performance against the Brewers. His 1.80 ERA since the All-Star break is second best in the NL, and his overall ERA has plummeted from 5.84 to 4.06.
Could Myers possibly be pitching any better?
"Yeah," he said. "Maybe I wouldn't have lost those two games. You can always pitch better."
Against the Brewers, Myers followed pitching coach Rich Dubee's advice -- "Use your brains, not your brawn," Dubee said -- and opted for quick outs over strikeouts. It was an approach Myers likely wouldn't have taken early in the season when, after spending most of last year falling in love with his new role as the Phils' closer, he struggled to readjust to being in the rotation.
"I needed to learn how to start again," Myers said. "I needed to go down (to the minors) and throw my fastball more. Before I had the closer mentality to get strike one and then strike 'em out. Now, I'm having a plan, and I'm realizing I have to do things differently the second and third time through the lineup. That wasn't there before."
Said Dubee, "He's more sure of himself with the fastball, and he's got confidence in his quality breaking stuff. He's just much more aware of pitching now."
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