May 3 -- CASE CLOSED

SAN FRANCISCO -- Brett Myers began preparing for his first career save a full inning before it happened. He played catch in right field with Jayson Werth before the bottom of the eighth. He threw in the bullpen during the top of the ninth. And, as the Phillies loaded the bases (and failed to score), he was so tired of standing around that he walked to the dugout.

As Tom Petty once sang, the waiting is the hardest part, and Myers can now relate.

"I was pretty much ready to go," he said after mowing down the Giants in a 16-pitch inning that gave him as many clean ninth-inning saves (one) as Tom Gordon had in nine outings.

The conditions were less than ideal, too. Driving rain made the mound wet, causing Myers to occasionally lose his footing. But he got Ray Durham to ground out to second and Pedro Feliz to pop to shortstop before striking out Mark Sweeney. And, although he had never before pitched in a save situation, he didn't notice much of a difference in his new role.

"Maybe at home it will be," he said. "On the road, it's not. It's still just getting people out."

So far, so good.

* For five innings, Shane Victorino played like he never wants to be out of the lineup again. The Flyin' Hawaiian got three hits, stole two bases and scored two runs. But he was lifted in the fifth because of tightness in his back. Both Victorino and Charlie Manuel said he should be OK to play tomorrow night.

* Good thing Bruce Bochy doesn't manage the Phillies. He'd be getting killed on the air today for taking Barry Bonds out of a 9-2 game after the fourth inning. The Giants rallied for five runs, and Bonds' replacement, Todd Linden, wound up batting three times. They could've used Bonds' bat.

* The loudest cheers of the night came when the video screen in center field showed the Golden State Warriors eliminating the Dallas Mavericks. Don Nelson doesn't have to buy another meal in the Bay Area for the rest of his life. Mark Cuban looked like he couldn't get out of town fast enough.

More tomorrow -- after a good night's sleep.