May 27 -- MYERS INJURES HIP; MRI SCHEDULED

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Brett Myers is nervous.

Myers left tonight's game against the Marlins in the sixth inning with what the Phillies are terming "right hip inflammation." He said the pain, which he describes as a "sharp pinching that runs from my hip down to my knee sometimes," has existed on and off for the past month, but was more persistent tonight, especially when he pitched from the stretch. He's scheduled to undergo an MRI exam tomorrow.

Minutes ago, Myers hobbled to the table in the center of the Phillies' clubhouse and expressed concern that it may be something serious.

"Today was the worst it's been in the whole month," he said. "It was pretty bad out of the stretch. Sometimes it'll kind of give way. It's kind of hard to finish pitches when you don't have your back leg pushing off. Against the Yankees, I was feeling it, but it wasn't too bad. It was maybe once an inning. But tonight, it was every second or third pitch that it was bothering me. Hopefully, there's nothing serious with it, and there's some treatment I can do to get rid of it.

"For the past couple of years it's bothered me, but it hasn't been that bad. It was hard to put pressure on my back leg out of the stretch. It usually will come on one pitch and go away for a while. I felt it probably in the second inning in warm-ups, and it kind of went away. I felt it again in the third inning, and in the stretch, it got pretty bad. I was going to try to get through it and keep the ball down. But stuff started flattening out in the stretch. You've just got to try to power through it.

"I'm kind of nervous because I've never been hurt really bad. I don't really like needles either. It's when I put pressure on it out of the stretch or when I push off. More than anything, I feel it as my leg is following through. It was doing it probably every two, three pitches tonight, which it hadn't done in the past. It's kind of hard [to diagnose]. It's not like I can put my finger right on it, unless I feel it. You can tell the trainers anything you want. I've been doing exercises for a month trying to get rid of it. Tonight it was acting up.

"It usually happens every year about a month after we get into the season. I've always thought, 'Fine, it locked up one time. I'll get over it. Just keep pitching.' Tonight, it was doing it every couple pitches, and I knew something wasn't right. Today was definitely the worst it's been."

Keep this in mind: If Myers has to miss a start or go on the disabled list, Kyle Kendrick pitched tonight for Lehigh Valley. He allowed three runs on nine hits and didn't walk a batter in a victory at Buffalo, and for the season, he's 4-3 with a 4.25 ERA.

More later and in tomorrow's News Journal.

(Updated, 11:54 p.m.): We've learned that Myers also had an X-ray after the game that showed "some jaggedness," he said. The MRI will reveal more about what's going on in that hip, so check back here tomorrow for details.