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But when Myers walked from the mound in the eighth inning, that's exactly what he received from the fans at Coca-Cola Park.
Myers lifted his hat in acknowledgment.
The Brett Myers rehabilitation project continued last night in Lehigh Valley.
A day after the Phillies signed closer Brad Lidge to a three-year, $37.5 million contract extension, Myers made his second minor-league start, pitching a solid 71/3 innings and earning the win as the IronPigs came from behind to beat the Louisville Bats, 4-3.
Myers' line: 114 pitches, 73 for strikes, seven hits, three runs, two earned, six strikeouts, two walks, and one hit batsman.
After the game, Myers said this start was "a heck of a lot better" than his first.
Myers appeared to regain his competitive mojo when Lehigh Valley scored four runs in the sixth, putting him in line for a win. He struck out the side in the seventh.
"I definitely saw some swagger, some presence," said IronPigs pitching coach Rod Nichols, who worked with Myers in Myers' younger years.
"I felt like things clicked a little bit," Myers said. "Little click here and there. My next start will tell me a lot."
Myers will next pitch on Saturday after he is reassigned to Reading.
Myers, who spent last season as the Phils' closer, said earlier this week he believed his big-league future was in the bullpen.
But the Phillies haven't minced words: Myers needs to be a starter.
When the club optioned Myers, its opening-day starter, to Lehigh Valley a week ago, his record was 3-9 with a 5.84 ERA in 17 games.
After last night's game, Myers said it's clear what the Phillies want.
"I'm happy for Brad [Lidge]," Myers said. "I'm down here to get ready as a starter."
Against Louisville, Myers worked his fastball.
"I need that pitch," Myers said.
Myers said he threw about 60 to 70 percent fastballs last night, as opposed to 50 percent in his first minor-league outing.
Nichols said Myers' speed ranged from 89 to 94 m.p.h.
The Bats scored a run in the second on three soft singles, and two runs, one earned, in the sixth.
About three hours before the game, Myers spent 45 minutes in the bullpen with Nichols reviewing mechanics with two younger pitchers.
"That makes him apply those things to his own pitching," Nichols said.
After his July 2 start, Myers said he believed Nichols could "find the smallest things nobody else could find."
Nichols said it's not necessarily a specific mechanical problem that Myers needs to fix but the confidence that comes from returning to basics.
When asked if he hoped to be back with the Phillies when the all-star break ended, Myers said, "Hoping? I'm planning on it. No hope about it."
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