While his teammates were busy clobbering Atlanta for the second straight night, Brett Myers was about 1,000 miles away, taking the hill for the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Some might say Myers’ head was even farther away.
Here’s the problem the Phillies face with the guy they sent to the mound on opening day as the co-called ace of their staff: Myers no longer wants to be a starter. He as much as admits his head is no longer into being a starting pitcher.
Some might argue Myers’ head is – and too often has been –somewhere else entirely.
That won’t change the dilemma facing the Phils. They made the decision in the off-season to move Myers back into the starting rotation. In a move I guess to thank him for bailing them out last year when he went to the bullpen and became the team’s closer, they made him their Opening Day starter, despite the belief by most that Cole Hamels is the team’s real starting stud.
In the off-season the Phils had added another element to the mix by acquiring another closer to fill the role that Myers performed so well last year, including recording the memorable last out on the final day of the regular season as the Phils won the National League East. Signing Brad Lidge was a gamble, but only now is it apparent that the bigger gamble the Phils took had more to do with Myers than Lidge.
Lidge was coming off knee surgery as well as a bit of a psychological funk. Some said he was not the same pitcher after being taken “yard” by Albert Pujols in a key playoff game the year before, leading to the Cardinals’ win over the Astros.
As it turns out, Lidge has been all the Phils could have expected and more. He was back on the mound last night and survived a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to seal the deal.
The problem hasn’t been with Lidge; it’s with Myers. He clearly no longer has any desire to be a starter. His head is still in the bullpen, in that adrenaline rush of being a closer. But Lidge is standing in the way.
The Phils now have several decisions to make, none of them easy. Should they offer a new deal to Lidge? And if they do what does that mean for Myers?
The Phils are hoping Myers can fix whatever ails him, either with his mechanics or between his shoulder blades, and get back in their rotation in a few weeks, maybe even before the All-Star break.
Which is fine except for one thing: That’s not what Myers wants to do. He wants to be a closer.
He may have to find another town to do it in.
Some might say Myers’ head was even farther away.
Here’s the problem the Phillies face with the guy they sent to the mound on opening day as the co-called ace of their staff: Myers no longer wants to be a starter. He as much as admits his head is no longer into being a starting pitcher.
Some might argue Myers’ head is – and too often has been –somewhere else entirely.
That won’t change the dilemma facing the Phils. They made the decision in the off-season to move Myers back into the starting rotation. In a move I guess to thank him for bailing them out last year when he went to the bullpen and became the team’s closer, they made him their Opening Day starter, despite the belief by most that Cole Hamels is the team’s real starting stud.
In the off-season the Phils had added another element to the mix by acquiring another closer to fill the role that Myers performed so well last year, including recording the memorable last out on the final day of the regular season as the Phils won the National League East. Signing Brad Lidge was a gamble, but only now is it apparent that the bigger gamble the Phils took had more to do with Myers than Lidge.
Lidge was coming off knee surgery as well as a bit of a psychological funk. Some said he was not the same pitcher after being taken “yard” by Albert Pujols in a key playoff game the year before, leading to the Cardinals’ win over the Astros.
As it turns out, Lidge has been all the Phils could have expected and more. He was back on the mound last night and survived a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to seal the deal.
The problem hasn’t been with Lidge; it’s with Myers. He clearly no longer has any desire to be a starter. His head is still in the bullpen, in that adrenaline rush of being a closer. But Lidge is standing in the way.
The Phils now have several decisions to make, none of them easy. Should they offer a new deal to Lidge? And if they do what does that mean for Myers?
The Phils are hoping Myers can fix whatever ails him, either with his mechanics or between his shoulder blades, and get back in their rotation in a few weeks, maybe even before the All-Star break.
Which is fine except for one thing: That’s not what Myers wants to do. He wants to be a closer.
He may have to find another town to do it in.
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