Posts tagged ‘brett myers’

I think we were all in agreement: This team was too good not to make a run.  June was a bad month, there’s no doubt about that.  July was only slightly better.  But I don’t think any of us really believed they’d play .500 ball the rest of the year.  This team has first place talent, and they hadn’t been red hot since May.  You just can’t keep that kind of talent down for too long.

That brings us to this week, a week where the Phils really look like they’ve put it together.  It’s a combination of a few things.  Yes, the offense has come around and the timely hitting has returned.  Yes, the pitching has been solid, especially the starters.  And yes, they had three games against the Nationals.

But two great starts by Brett Myers and another by Joe Blanton shouldn’t go without mention.  Blanton was taking some heat for under-performing in his first start (plus the second, rain-shortened one).  Hopefully his seven strong innings against the Cardinals will put that to bed.

But the most encouraging sign has been Myers.  Tonight, he made his third start since being recalled from the minors, and once again he looked sharp.  I know most people weren’t impressed by his first start against the Mets, but I said at the time that it didn’t bother me.  Sure, he walked more than his share, but he didn’t get hit around, and he looked a little more relaxed on the mound.

Things really showed in his second start against the Nationals.  Sure, he was playing a Quadruple-A ball club, but seven-plus shutout innings is seven-plus shutout innings.  Then he took the hill tonight against a potent offense on national television.

Myers only went six innings, but more importantly he only gave up two runs and really only made one bad pitch.  He managed to keep his pitch count down, and he once again worked the corners of the plate.  His command was much better, his demeanor on the mound was more aggressive, and he would’ve gone deeper into the ballgame if his spot in the order didn’t come up with the tying run on base.  Whether you were ok with his first start back from the minors or not, you have to admit: He’s looked good lately.

And it couldn’t come at a better time.  The Phillies didn’t add anyone at the trade deadline.  There isn’t a starter waiting in the wings, and there’s no move to the bullpen in sight.  This team needs him to step up.

Myers is a lot of things, but a complainer isn’t one of them.  This guy wants to win, and he certainly doesn’t want to be the weak link.

Now that Adam Eaton is gone, Myers is the bottom rung on the ladder.  He has to know that.  I’m not saying he was pitching poorly because he knew Eaton was worse.  I’m just pointing out that Myers knows he’s pitching for the right to pitch again five days later.  Rather than feel the pressure of that, he’s gone out like a guy with nothing to lose.  He’s fearless, and that’s made him more aggressive.  He’s coming inside on hitters more than he did earlier in the year, and he’s letting loose on his fastball instead of trying to overthrow it.  The difference is noticeable.

Myers can be his own worst enemy, but when he’s locked in mentally, he can be a force.  This is three good starts in a row now.  You have to think he’s getting close to being the guy this team wanted him to be from Day 1.  If that happens, look out.  This guy is as good as a Number 2 when he’s on.  Add that to this rotation, and I think the Phils can beat anyone.

In the meantime, they’re putting some distance between themselves and the rest of the division.  As they head into Florida, they have a chance to bury the Marlins.  To this point in the year, every time the Phils have had a chance to bury a team, they’ve come up small.  Look for them to take two of three from the Fish.  This team was too good not to make a run, and it looks like they’re on it.

The first week of baseball season always comes with a great deal of anticipation.  Of course, if you’re the Phillies, it normally ends with more questions than answers.  It seems like this team gets off to a slow start every year, and so here’s a look back at the opening week that was:

The Good

Chase Utley is playing like it’s his turn to win the MVP award.  He’s absolutely crushing the ball, and he already has a mid-season intensity about him that we can all only hope is contagious.

Jimmy Rollins has been fine at the top of the order, even though his average is lower than he’d like it to be.  Even Pat Burrell looks good, and maybe that’s a sign he is going to carry over last year’s monster second half and come through in his contract year.

So much for the 5th starter spot being a weakness.  Adam Eaton looked like he got off on the right foot the other day when he pitched 7.2 innings against the Reds.  Of course, the Phillies lost that game, so I’m not sure what that tells us.  Consider it severance pay for the fact that Eaton won 10 games last year with an ERA over 6.

The Bad

I can’t put into words how annoyed I am with Shane Victorino.  He’s an astounding 3 for 23 so far this year with 4 strikeouts.  That’s a .130 clip, and what’s worse is that I haven’t seen him put together a good at-bat yet.  While his defense has been fine in Center, he sure looks like a guy who is walking around with the knowledge that for the first time in his Major League career, he’s not battling for playing time.  He’s a little too comfortable.

The Ugly

We can go on and on about the pitching staff, but the reality is that the two best outings haven’t meant a thing to this team.  Cole Hamels throws 8 innings of 1 run ball, and Adam Eaton throws 7.2 of 3 run ball, and the Phils lose both games.  Sure, Tom Gordon had a bad opener and Brett Myers hasn’t looked like himself, but the bigger problem is that this team isn’t playing much defense at all.

When a team this solid defensively makes 4 errors in one game like they did on Thursday, it’s a sign of a lack of focus.  And after the slow starts of the last few years and the hype around this team in spring training, it makes you wonder just what this team is thinking about.  They have to know how badly these losses can hurt them down the road.  But at the same time, the focus and the intensity (Chase Utley aside) just isn’t there.  It’s strange at best and worrisome at least, and either way it’s a sign that things need to turn around quickly.

The Mets and Braves haven’t gotten off to fast starts either, and so this first week has a chance to mean nothing.  But the time to turn it around isn’t May 1st, it’s right now.  Of course, they’ll get their chance.  They’ll help the Mets open the last season at Shea Stadium coming up this Tuesday.  Let’s hope they have their focus in time for that.