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Saturday, June 28, 2008

MLB.com: Phillies may move Myers to bullpen

A day after the shortest outing of [Brett] Myers’ career, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel and pitching Rich Dubee acknowledged the possibility that the right-hander may not make his next start, scheduled for Thursday in Atlanta, the final game of a 10-day road trip.

“We’ll see what we’re going to do about it,” Manuel said.

Myers is testing the patience of his manager and pitching coach and appears to be in his own head more than ever. He declined to speak after his two-plus inning stint on Friday—in which he blew a 5-1 lead in the third by allowing five straight Rangers to reach base—and didn’t want to talk on Saturday, either.
...
Myers’ lack of confidence in his heater is getting the best of him.

“Somewhere, he lost that edge,” Dubee said. “Some of it is delivery. Sometimes it’s approach. Sometimes you have to trust your stuff and get after it. We’ll try to get him to mix. We try to get him to establish his curveball with his fastball, and then all of a sudden, he doesn’t establish his fastball. He has to find the right approach. It’s like a ping-pong ball. He keeps going back and forth.”

Though Dubee acknowledged that the team saw “a different animal” with Myers in the bullpen, Manuel thought that was because he was happy closing. If the team were to make a change, Myers could pitch in middle relief.

NTNgod Posted: June 28, 2008 at 09:49 PM | 17 comment(s)
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   1. Textbook Editor Posted: June 28, 2008 at 10:34 PM (#2836346)
Brett, you can't pout and suck your way on purpose back into the closer's role; it's taken.

Anyone want a too-expensive head case for their stretch drive? I imagine Philly would take a literal bucket of baseballs if someone took on the full salary.
   2. Biff. You know, for kids! Posted: June 28, 2008 at 11:08 PM (#2836363)
Is this 2007?
   3. Textbook Editor Posted: June 28, 2008 at 11:34 PM (#2836377)
Another thought: he's hurt and he's too "macho" to own up to it.

But man, the Phillies are looking at paying a head case $12 million next year to come out of the bullpen in middle relief. Say what you want about Ed Wade's screwups with relief pitchers, but paying Myers $12 million in 2009 to pitch the 8th inning is by FAR the worst allocation of resources in Philly in a long time. And the fact that Myers has been pissing and moaning about starting instead of closing is a freaking joke.

In fact, if I were the Phillies I would gladly shell out 5-6 million if someone would take him off my hands. Better than to spend $12 million to get 60 innings of relief... and it gets rid of what will clearly be a distraction if Myers goes all malcontent and sulks the rest of the year.
   4. El Hijo del Ron Santo (Alan Keiper) Posted: June 28, 2008 at 11:44 PM (#2836380)
When Myers got that contract he was 25-15 over the last two seasons, with a 3.81 ERA. It was a very reasonable move to make at the time.

What a waste of promise though.
   5. Gold Star for Robot Boy Posted: June 28, 2008 at 11:46 PM (#2836381)
That has to blow to his ego. A beating, if you will.
   6. North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan Posted: June 29, 2008 at 03:26 AM (#2836405)
What pitcher wants to be a reliever rather than a starter? Really? Really?
   7. Crashburn Alley Posted: June 29, 2008 at 03:36 AM (#2836407)
#4 is absolutely correct. The Myers contract was actually very economical for the Phillies at the time, especially since A) they had no idea that they'd have to throw him in the bullpen as an emergency substitute B) they had no idea that Brett Myers would blow his arm out pitching in said bullpen role and C) that he would have a disastrous start to the 2008 season as a starting pitcher.

Hindsight is certainly 20/20 in this case.
   8. Chase Utley, America's Favorite Robot (Joey Belle) Posted: June 29, 2008 at 03:40 AM (#2836409)
Boom....out of here(the starting rotation that is).
   9. Vaux, A.B.D. Posted: June 29, 2008 at 04:05 AM (#2836411)
They didn't "have to". Thinking the bullpen is more important than the rotation is idiotic to begin with.
   10. MM1f Posted: June 29, 2008 at 04:09 AM (#2836412)
What pitcher wants to be a reliever rather than a starter? Really? Really?

No one wants to be "just a reliever" but you've got to be kidding if you can't understand lots of pitchers preferring to close. It has got to be a blast to run out there when the game is on the line and go all out for one inning.
   11. Dock Ellis on Acid Posted: June 29, 2008 at 04:17 AM (#2836413)
The Phillies are only moving him to the bullpen because they love him.
   12. PatrickInTheWoods, Apostate Posted: June 29, 2008 at 11:18 AM (#2836442)
It has got to be a blast to run out there when the game is on the line and go all out for one inning.

Or, they like picking up the 12 Mil for all of the games they "close" with (relatively) safe two or three run leads.
   13. PatrickInTheWoods, Apostate Posted: June 29, 2008 at 11:19 AM (#2836443)
TE: I think he's hurt.
   14. Justin T Posted: June 29, 2008 at 11:32 AM (#2836448)
No one wants to be "just a reliever" but you've got to be kidding if you can't understand lots of pitchers preferring to close.

Lots of relief pitchers want to close. There may well be others, but I can't think of any other starting pitcher off the top of my head who was still an effective starter and asked to close or expressed a desire to do it in any way. And I'm a big enough baseball fan to be sure then that there aren't "lots" of pitchers who prefer it to starting.
   15. Monty Posted: June 29, 2008 at 01:50 PM (#2836507)
Hey, the eighth inning is incredibly important! At least, I'm pretty sure that's what people were saying in the "Should Joba Start?" threads.
   16. rlc Posted: June 29, 2008 at 04:18 PM (#2836819)
What pitcher wants to be a reliever rather than a starter?

Arthur Rhodes, for one.
   17. Petunia Posted: June 29, 2008 at 04:25 PM (#2836840)
I think Papelbon has said he prefers closing to starting. I know for sure that in ST of 2007 when he was moved from the rotation back to closing, he expressed relief (so to speak).
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