The time and date have been set for Brett Myers to either put up or shut up.
Preferably for the Phillies, the answer would be to put up but in a season spiraling out of control, which Myers shows up is anyone's guess.
"I've seen him in the minor leagues and I'm optimistic about what we can get from him," Phillies general manager Pat Gillick said. "I think he's ready to go and do a good job."
That's all well and good but Myers won't be on some minor league outpost working on his fastball as he's been over the last month in four minor league starts. He's no longer hidden from the glare of camera lights and microphones as he was in Brevard County on Friday night.
Myers will go tonight in the biggest fishbowl the National League has to offer in Shea Stadium and even though 62 games remain, the season is very much on the line. Whether or not Myers can handle it is a question the Phillies hope he answers in the affirmative, although with a stagnant offense still lost in the haze of a successful 2007 season, even on the chance he performs well it may not be enough.
"It's going to come down to confidence and location and just execution," catcher Chris Coste said. "That's going to be a lot of it.
"I think (he abandoned his fastball because) when in doubt he's always been able to rely on the curveball. He threw that a little bit, plus the cutter/slider. I think you'll see him stick with his fastball a little more now."
That's a novel approach, considering Myers has always worked off his fastball in the first place. Why he abandoned the pitch is a mystery for the ages but the result was an ineffective right-handed starter that is 3-9 with a 5.84 ERA.
"It seems like he's confident," said pitching coach Rich Dubee, who has openly criticized Myers several times this season. "I feel he's a lot more confident, a lot more sure of what he's going to do. How he walks around and conducts himself.
"I think there was an agreement there how long he'd go down and when we had to make a decision. We're in the middle of (a fight) for our division right now. We think he's ready and he thinks he's ready so that's good."
Trade talks
With the Phillies still harboring thoughts of the 2008 postseason, Gillick and company are still searching for that one piece to help them come out on top.
"We're continuing to talk," Gillick said. "I would say a trade is good possibility. I wouldn't say it's a probability but a possibility. We could take a pitcher or a hitter.
"I always like pitching. You can never have too much. You know, a lot depends how our starters pitch. Sometimes guys get in a funk (offensively) for a while and at some point they'll break out of it. They're too good of hitters not to."
Rumor central
Shane Victorino may contend that he can't worry about trade rumors but his actions indicate something completely different.
"There's nothing I can do about it so why think about it," said Victorino, who admitted to Googling his name to examine the very rumors he's attempting to ignore.
In one respect, Victorino should understand the compliment inherent to being named in a trade rumor. That said, he's obviously concerned about his status.
"I don't talk about rumors," Gillick said.
Preferably for the Phillies, the answer would be to put up but in a season spiraling out of control, which Myers shows up is anyone's guess.
"I've seen him in the minor leagues and I'm optimistic about what we can get from him," Phillies general manager Pat Gillick said. "I think he's ready to go and do a good job."
That's all well and good but Myers won't be on some minor league outpost working on his fastball as he's been over the last month in four minor league starts. He's no longer hidden from the glare of camera lights and microphones as he was in Brevard County on Friday night.
Myers will go tonight in the biggest fishbowl the National League has to offer in Shea Stadium and even though 62 games remain, the season is very much on the line. Whether or not Myers can handle it is a question the Phillies hope he answers in the affirmative, although with a stagnant offense still lost in the haze of a successful 2007 season, even on the chance he performs well it may not be enough.
"It's going to come down to confidence and location and just execution," catcher Chris Coste said. "That's going to be a lot of it.
"I think (he abandoned his fastball because) when in doubt he's always been able to rely on the curveball. He threw that a little bit, plus the cutter/slider. I think you'll see him stick with his fastball a little more now."
That's a novel approach, considering Myers has always worked off his fastball in the first place. Why he abandoned the pitch is a mystery for the ages but the result was an ineffective right-handed starter that is 3-9 with a 5.84 ERA.
"It seems like he's confident," said pitching coach Rich Dubee, who has openly criticized Myers several times this season. "I feel he's a lot more confident, a lot more sure of what he's going to do. How he walks around and conducts himself.
"I think there was an agreement there how long he'd go down and when we had to make a decision. We're in the middle of (a fight) for our division right now. We think he's ready and he thinks he's ready so that's good."
Trade talks
With the Phillies still harboring thoughts of the 2008 postseason, Gillick and company are still searching for that one piece to help them come out on top.
"We're continuing to talk," Gillick said. "I would say a trade is good possibility. I wouldn't say it's a probability but a possibility. We could take a pitcher or a hitter.
"I always like pitching. You can never have too much. You know, a lot depends how our starters pitch. Sometimes guys get in a funk (offensively) for a while and at some point they'll break out of it. They're too good of hitters not to."
Rumor central
Shane Victorino may contend that he can't worry about trade rumors but his actions indicate something completely different.
"There's nothing I can do about it so why think about it," said Victorino, who admitted to Googling his name to examine the very rumors he's attempting to ignore.
In one respect, Victorino should understand the compliment inherent to being named in a trade rumor. That said, he's obviously concerned about his status.
"I don't talk about rumors," Gillick said.
