That, in short, if he didn't start pitching better pronto he could find himself shoved into the margins, his future with the organization very much in doubt.
"Honestly, it really wasn't on my mind," he said last night after pitching seven strong innings to win his first game since May 30 as the Phillies edged baseball's worst team, the Washington Nationals, 2-1. "If it was, I wouldn't have been able to concentrate."
Maybe that's the whole truth and nothing but. On the other hand, at another point during his postgame postmortem he said that he knew he had to pitch better "or my butt's going to be back in Triple A again. And I don't want that."
It's a fine line. One of the reasons Myers agreed to make four minor league starts was to try to rebuild his shattered confidence. Lack of swagger can be a killer, especially for a pitcher.
Its close relative, insecurity, can be helpful at times, though. And Charlie Manuel seemed determined to create an element of uncertainty before the game. Asked point-blank how important this start was for Myers, the manager didn't hesitate.
"Right now, I feel like we've got to give Brett a few more starts and see where he's at," he said noncommittally. "We'll just have to wait and see."
As ringing endorsements go, that comes up a little short.
In fact, that wasn't the only comment he made during his daily dugout update that sounded suspiciously like an in-your-face challenge to Myers, and possibly Joe Blanton. When asked about how well he thought the newly arrived Happ would adapt to an unfamiliar relief role, he made it clear that he still views the young lefty as a starter.
