Bitching And Moaning

Brett Myers is ticked off. So, what's new?

It seems Myers felt he had another inning left in him yesterday when his manager disagreed and lifted him after five innings of labor during which he surrendered eight hits, four walks, two home runs and four earned runs. Today I was very frustrated because I definitely felt like I had another inning in me and wasn't happy with the way the situation ended up. I mean, I gave up two seeing-eye singles in that [fifth] inning and had to work out of a bases-loaded jam, but felt like I deserved myself another inning there and they didn't give it to me. They felt like I was finished and they needed to go to the bullpen.

You can be sure Charlie Manuel hesitated before going to his bullpen, but the notion that he deserved another inning is vintage Myers: blame someone else.

Watching him throw it was clear he had virtually no command of his breaking ball, little if anything on his fastball and absolutely nothing upstairs. Worst of all, Myers simply doesn't know how to pitch. We aren't asking for a Phi Beta Kappa performance every time out, but it would help if once in a while Myers gave the impression he knew what he was doing. He can fall in love with his curve when its clear the only thing that pitch is doing on some days is hanging around waiting for some batter(s) to jerk it out of the park. The idea that the staff's number two starter has to complain he'd only given up two "seeing eye" hits in his final inning of work hardly excuses the four innings that preceded them.

If the Phils continue their perennial April swoon, Myers can point to his first two starts and say he gave them a shove in that direction.

While we are on the subject of complainers, it's time to note Ryan Howard is becoming a charter member of the whiners club. I'd like a nickel for every time he moans about a call that didn't go his way or gives that prolonged pained look of disbelief. Umpires are probably getting tired of his act, too, and he can expect little leeway from them as he visibly shows his displeasure. Howard has gone from a guy whose demeanor was sunny and whose approach was one of adjustment to a guy who seems impatient and disgruntled and whose approach is rigid.

No one is asking him to defy the shift and drop a bunt down the third base line, but by the same token he'd better start going the other way once in a while instead of pulling everything thrown. He already has struck out seven times in 20 official AB's.