April 6 -- GAME 1 WRAP: DECONSTRUCTING BRETT

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, the Phillies won't go 162-0.

Oh well.

"My goodness," Jimmy Rollins said last night. "I am so heartbroken that we lost a game."

But seriously ...

What did we learn from Game 1 of 162? Well, the Braves, often overlooked in the NL East conversation, are better than people think. Derek Lowe's sinker is as good as ever, and he will help boost the Braves' rotation. And maybe, just maybe, the Phillies' lefty-leaning lineup is vulnerable to left-handed pitching. But that's a topic for another day -- or, perhaps, for later today (hint: stay tuned).

The most interesting thing I heard in the clubhouse last night was Rollins' assessment of Brett Myers' performance. Myers allowed three homers in the first two innings, putting the Phillies in an early 4-0 hole. Brian McCann swatted a changeup over the right-field fence in the first inning. Jeff Francoeur belted a first-pitch fastball to open the second, and two batters later, good-looking rookie Jordan Schafer clocked a middle-in fastball. Anyway, Rollins noted that Myers didn't throw his curveball until later in the game, which is odd because Myers' curveball is usually a pretty good pitch. So, I went back and broke down Myers' pitch selection, according to the usually reliable GameCast on MLB.com. Here's what I found.

First inning (16 pitches): 10 fastballs, 4 changeups, 2 slider/cutters
Second inning (21 pitches): 7 fastballs, 2 changeups, 8 slider/cutters, 4 curveballs
Third inning (12 pitches): 1 fastball, 1 changeup, 7 slider/cutters, 3 curveballs
Fourth inning (18 pitches): 6 fastballs, 1 changeup, 7 slider/cutters, 4 curveballs
Fifth inning (12 pitches): 6 fastballs, 1 changeup, 2 slider/cutters, 3 curveballs
Sixth inning (16 pitches): 4 fastballs, 3 changeups, 2 slider/cutters, 3 curveball, 4 intentional balls

Of the 91 pitches Myers threw (not including an intentional walk of Schafer in the sixth inning), 34 were fastballs, 12 were changeups, 28 were a slider/cutter hybrid and only 17 were curveballs. Of those 17, 12 were thrown for strikes. But Myers didn't throw a curveball until the second inning.

"It's something that Brett can learn from," Rollins said. "He didn't throw his curveball until later in the game, and that's a weapon for him. Maybe he'll start throwing it a little earlier in the game, just to get guys off his fastball and off his cutter and give them a different look or just a wrinkle."

Rollins' analysis came after Myers had already spoken to reporters, so I didn't have a chance to ask him about the curveballs (or lack thereof). But, before the game, Charlie Manuel talked about Myers' dependence on his fastball and his need to vary his pattern.

"I think Myers is learning to use all of his pitches and have command of them," he said. "But I think he still pitches off his fastball, and I think he gets in trouble a lot of times when he's trying to double-up or triple-up. I think the hitters are very intelligent, and if they're smart at all, they'll sit on some of those and they can hit it when they look for it. ... [In] spring training, he changed that pattern. The pattern that he pitches in sometimes gets him in trouble. I think he's learning to change that."

Perhaps Myers' best sequence came in the fifth inning when he fanned Kelly Johnson on four pitches -- an 83-mph slider for a called strike, a 90-mph fastball for a called strike, a 70-mph curveball that was fouled off, an 85-mph changeup for a swinging strike. Four pitches. Four speeds. Great success.

Myers said he learned some lessons last night. He didn't elaborate, but maybe this was what he was talking about.

***
I'm sure Manuel enjoyed raising the 2008 World Series championship banner up the flag pole in center field. But, generally speaking, he wasn't a fan of the pregame pomp and pageantry and the effect it may have had on the players, who were high-fiving their adoring fans one minute, then trying to get hits off Lowe the next.

"I complain about that a lot," Manuel said. "You've got to stay focused. Any time you get away from the real reason that we're there, I don't know how much it hurt. I can tell you that it did, but I don't know. I could tell you that I don't like it."

***
Also in today's News Journal, Manuel said he won't deviate from his lefty-lefty-lefty lineup just because things didn't go well in the ninth inning. ... Geoff Mosher says Myers can take a page from Pat Burrell and have a big free-agent walk year. ... It's easy to forget now, but when Chase Utley had hip surgery in November, there was no guarantee he'd even be ready by opening night. ... The Braves may not be one of the teams everyone is talking about in the NL East, but they may be pretty good. ... Kevin Tresolini talked to fans who were at the Bank last night talk about a pregame ceremony they'll never forget but refuse to live in the past by savoring 2008 for too long.

***
Day off for the Phillies today. Rollins said he'll be getting a massage. Sounds good to me.

More later.