Myers last night

by dajafi on Jul 24, 2008 11:04 AM EDT

When Brett Myers was closing games for the Phillies last year, I remember thinking that he'd probably be successful in the role because, frankly, he didn't seem sufficiently thoughtful to be much bothered by any blown saves. He'd come out the next day and just keep firing. As a starter in 2008, though, it's clear that Myers wasn't immune to getting in his own head. Everything from his body language to his pitch selection betrayed a player whose confidence had left him.

At Shea last night, Myers didn't have the best of results, but I thought I saw glimpses of the confidence returning. He took dead aim at his own feet in the first inning, walking four straight Mets and allowing two runs--but he didn't give in. As he got into the middle of the Mets lineup, hitters like Beltran started guessing on when he'd throw the straight, flat fastball that got turned into an instant souvenir so many times over the first two and a half months of the season. It never came. Myers minimized the self-inflicted damage in the first, and allowed a third run two frames later on a seeing-eye grounder. (He also probably could have used Pedro Feliz at third rather than Greg Dobbs.) He ended his outing by retiring the last six Mets he faced, and got the side in the fifth on six or seven pitches.

Don't get me wrong: Myers' command early on was as bad as the numbers suggest. He couldn't locate his fastball (and its velocity was consistently 89-91, not the 92-94 he used to throw it). Whether it was nerves, a mound he says didn't feel right, or something else doesn't really matter; he wasn't effective and put the team in an early hole. But I saw some good signs last night, and it wouldn't shock me if he was effective for the Phils going forward.

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Dajafi-
You’re really trying to look for the silver lining. Had Eaton thrown that start out there we’d be clamoring for JA Happ to return to the rotation.

It’s pretty hard for opponents to put balls in the seats or alleys when you don’t thrown them any strikes. The lack of strikeouts is the warning flag from last night. Maybe they didn’t drive any balls against him, but I’m skeptical that had the Mets had even better plate discipline last night, it would have been much uglier.

I’d give him two more starts, then I still think you might be able to trade him to an AL contender as a bullpen piece maybe. Put Happ in the rotation and close the chapter on Brett Myers.

by Bilzo on Jul 24, 2008 11:12 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

The Mets didn’t swing at many bad pitches that I saw, by any means. And they only hit two balls really hard off Myers—Maine’s lineout in the second (!) and Beltran’s single in the fourth. Otherwise, Myers got a lot of grounders to the right side; clearly he was throwing something that worked.

He’s not the pitcher he was in 2005-2006, at least not so long as he’s starting; he can’t blow guys away. But he could be a solid 3-4, about as effective as Moyer and Kendrick when he’s “on,” and probably Blanton.

As for the Eaton comp… I guess the difference is that if Eaton walked four guys in a row, the next three probably would blast extra-base hits. On both stuff and command, he’s far worse than Myers… and it’s not like that’s a big compliment to Myers.

by dajafi on Jul 24, 2008 11:23 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

There’s a few things that bothered me. Any time he reached back a bit to get a little extra (and top out at 92?? ugh), everything was high and away. The only time he was able to locate a fastball was when he took a little off and kept it around 87/88. That’s not going to be very good at all. Second, all we heard about was that he’s back now and he’s got more confidence in his fastball, since he worked on it while in the minors. Well I remember his first start at Lehigh… Wanna guess what the threw the whole game? The curve… Also, that was pretty much the only pitch he had command over last night.. again. Has he even thrown a splitter this year at all? It used to be a decent pitch for him, but I think it’s disappeared.

by foos05 on Jul 24, 2008 11:26 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

He threw the split some last night. But you’re right that the curve was the only pitch he consistently located for strikes. The fastball was in and out, and indeed, whenever he “reached back” it was high and away.

by dajafi on Jul 24, 2008 12:41 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Myers

There was absolutely nothing that impressed me about Myers. It is bullpen or bust b/c he doesn’t have the longevity or pitch location to be a starting pitcher. Myers is set to earn 8.5 million this year and 12 million next year!! What a waste and what team would want to pick up that contract? This is the only reason he is not pulled from the rotation b/c of the money locked up with him. We can’t afford to have him cost us games down the stretch so he needs to “build his confidence” back up in the bullpen.

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by Oddsboard on Jul 24, 2008 1:53 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Why on earth would you assume Myers can magically suceed in the bullpen all over again? Is it so easy to assume that he can duplicate his 50 innings of success from a year ago in the pen, but so impossible to assume that he can duplicate his 400 innings of success from two and three years ago in the rotation?

This isn’t about confidence. It’s about his fastball.

by MattS on Jul 24, 2008 4:45 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Big Brett

I’m usually the first one to hop all over a pitcher who’s struggling, but for some reason I keep feeling that Myers will staighten things out and help the Phillies a great deal down the stretch. He really does seem to settle in after the first inning, where he has struggled mightily. It’s pretty odd for a guy who was so successful in a one inning role last year.

by Philadelphia Phillies on Jul 26, 2008 9:06 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs