The Brett Myers Injury Mystery

The loss of Brett Myers for the remainder of the season is irreversible and was probably unavoidable. But isn't it at least curious that two months into the season, nobody in the Phillies' organization, perhaps including Myers himself, had any idea that the right-hander was dealing with a significant physical problem?

When Myers started the season so poorly, it might have been reasonable to speculate that something was going on. But there was no such speculation forthcoming. After all, the other starters were struggling as well and Myers didn't seem overly concerned.

Then the pitcher proceeded to throw quite effectively, home run balls not withstanding, in five successive starts in May, so surely there was no reason to suspect anything. But after his last game, against the Marlins on May 27, Myers said: "This (the hip) has been bothering me as long as I can remember. I never knew what it was. It just became unpitchable this season."

But after his outing against Atlanta on May 10, Myers said he "felt more in control than ... in the past.... a little stronger. Everything went well for the most part".

Against Washington on May 16, Myers gave up 2 earned runs and struck out 8 in 7 innings. The Phils gave him the lead and he "just threw fastballs for strike one and (went) from there".

And then came his best game of the year against the Yankees in New York on May 22 when he went 8 innings with no walks in a 7-3 win. After the game, he was enthusiastic: "I'm getting better and better with each start."

So in just one week, Myers goes from "getting better and better" to "it just became unpitchable this season". This is not to suggest there is something sinister going on, but there is a rather strange inconsistency here.

Phils-Dodgers Game 2

Notes on Game 2:

1. Brett Myers' hitting won the game although if he had pitched better, his hitting might not have been needed. Most everyone is finding it to be a delicious irony that such a historically inept hitter as Myers is causing havoc with his bat. However, in the last week or two of the regular season, Myers had a couple of hits including one long double to center. He seemed to approach each plate appearance with the intention of swinging aggressively, particularly on the first pitch, when he is most likely to see a hittable pitch. It's surprising more National League pitchers don't try this. In the meantime, the Phillies who are paid to hit continue to underperform to say the least.

2. Gregg Dobbs, who has seen little action in the playoffs, provided instant offense, but he also mishandled a ground ball at third, although it was not a routine play. Charlie Manuel has a real dilemma in dividing up playing time between Dobbs and Felice. Dobbs may be the best contact hitter the Phillies have and as important as he is as a pinch hitter, the Phils have often struggled with their offense early in many games. A way should be found to get Dobbs more at bats.

Hamels/Myers Channelling Koufax/Drysdale

At the beginning of this season, the Phillies' starting rotation was riddled with questions. Adam Eaton? Well, enough said. Kyle Kendricks was a pleasant surprise as a rookie but he was still something of an unknown quantity. And how much longer could the master illusionist Jamie Moyer pull rabbitts out of a hat? But there was more confidence about their top starters, Cole Hamels and Brett Myers. Yes there were some issues concerning Hamels' durability and Myers was returning from a sabbatical to the bull pen but they were both talented young pitchers coming off solid seasons. Hamels in particular seemed ready to take it to the next level. Some optimistic types had visions of a superstar lefty-righty tandem in the mode of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale of the great Dodger teams of the sixties. Maybe this was a bit too optimistic. In 1965, Koufax/Drysdale had a combined record of 49-20. But you get the point.

For most of this regular season, these hopes never materialized. Myers struggled early in the season. And Hamels, while solid, had a number of bad patches, gave up some untimely long balls, and was given anemic support. These first two games of the playoffs remind us of what might have been and still could be. Maybe not Koufax and Drysdale, but still one of the best pitching combinations around.