Aug. 4 -- ALL ABOUT MYERS

ST. LOUIS -- Wow. Lots to talk about after last night's game.

There was Shane Victorino's game-winning, three-run homer in the eighth inning on a night when Charlie Manuel had planned on giving him a rest. There was a big (huge, actually) double play induced by Ryan Madson against hot-hitting Ryan Ludwick with the bases loaded in the eighth. And there was bend-but-don't-break closer Brad Lidge's Houdini act in the ninth, when he allowed a home run to cut the lead to one run, then loaded the bases with one out before striking out rookies Nick Stavinoha and Joe Mather to nail down his 28th save in 28 chances.

"I knew we had an off-day [today], so I wanted to get some extra work in," Lidge joked later, after the Phillies improved to 50-0 when leading after eight innings, won a series in which they batted .181 as a team and moved 2-1/2 games ahead of the Marlins and three games ahead of the Mets in the NL East.

But I decided to focus the game story in today's News Journal on Brett Myers.

Why? Well, about three hours before the game, Myers was on everybody's mind. Five nights earlier, he had given up one unearned run in seven innings against the Nationals, prompting discussion that maybe, just maybe, he was on his way to finally fulfilling his top-of-the-rotation-starter potential. Then again, it was the Nationals, and they had been shut out in three of their previous four games. Odds are, Myers had faced more potent offenses in the minors.

"I always look at things from a scout's viewpoint," assistant GM Mike Arbuckle was saying before Myers returned the mound against the considerably mightier Cardinals in prime-time on national television. "And as a scout, having seen him when he's good, it was much better. His command was better. For me, that's the key. He had a better downhill plane [to his delivery] than he's had in a while. So, regardless of who he's pitching against, if he comes out and commands his fastball like he did last time, he'll be fine."

Check.

Myers threw only 64 pitches (46 strikes), but that wasn't his fault. Had the Phillies' offense not left him in a 2-1 hole in the seventh inning, Myers would've continued in the game, maybe even finished it. Instead, Manuel pinch-hit for him in the seventh. But, for the most part, Myers commanded his fastball. He didn't walk a batter. And other than Ludwick's double in the second and home run in the fourth, he flummoxed a good Cardinals lineup.

"He seems a lot more like himself," said Madson, Myers' closest friend on the team. "He wants to get back to the way he's been. He's such a strong-minded guy. He doesn't like reaching out for help. But I think going down [to the minors] was good for him. I'm happy for him because we need him. We need him, big-time."

So, what do you think? Has your faith in Myers increased?

***
Within the notebook, there's more on Tom Gordon's status, Ryan Howard's success in his hometown, J.A. Happ's unsettled situation, and some good scouting (the Phillies hope) on Joe Blanton.

Time for me to catch my Southwest Airlines flight home. More later.