04/12 -- Pregame notes

ATLANTA -- I promised extra news, notes and quotes on this blog, so here goes ...

- Brett Myers chucked 95 pitches in only five innings Monday night. Not exactly a model of efficiency. The good news? He recognized the problem and vowed to correct it. "There are no going to be many more times when I go [only] five innings, I'll tell you that," Myers said. "I'm fed up with it. I can't go 2-2 on every guy and go seven innings. I felt like every hitter, I turned around and got to 2-2. That's not executing."
Myers wasn't through with his critical self-evaluation.
"My whole goal was for the team to win the starts I start. It hasn't happened, and I take full blame for it."
Truth is, Myers hasn't pitched badly. At least not as badly as Cory Lidle, tonight's starter, or Gavin Floyd, tomorrow's night. But he can be better, and the Phillies need him to be better.

- Ryan Franklin knew exactly why he gave up the decisive homer to Marcus Giles in the seventh inning Monday night. "The four-seam [fastball] is not supposed to sink. It sank about six inches over the outer-third of the plate." ... Yeah, and Giles hammered it.

- Finally, Cole Hamels' line last night for Class A Clearwater:
5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K
Think it's too late to put him on an express flight to Atlanta?

More later from Turner Field.