Phillies Notes | Myers claims he's not being overused

Brett Myers

threw a perfect ninth inning last night in a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park.

It was his 15th relief appearance in 28 games since he left the rotation for the bullpen. It also was his third appearance in three days. Does he think he's OK to pitch this afternoon in the series finale?

"Yep," Myers said. "Ready to roll. I'm good for 100. And then I'll need four days off."

Manager Charlie Manuel said he pitched Myers because in this ballpark, a four-run lead isn't safe.

"I used to throw [Billy] Wagner with a four-run lead, if you want to go back and check," he said. "I look at this like managing in Colorado Springs when I was in triple A. A five-run lead is [like] three or two."

The Phillies need a healthy and productive

Ryan Howard

back in the lineup as soon as possible.

But until then, they need continued production from players like Greg Dobbs. He entered last night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers hitting .563 (9 for 16) with a triple, two home runs and four RBIs in his last five games. Dobbs went 0 for 4 last night.

"We all know Ryan will be back in the lineup when he's healthy," Dobbs said. "That's the way it should be, but I don't want there to be a weak spot in the lineup because I'm there. I think any bench player feels like that."

Dobbs was hitting .188 on May 7, but he had just 31 at-bats.

Entering last night, he led the majors with nine RBIs as a pinch-hitter.

Howard is showing improvement with his strained left quadriceps. If there are no setbacks, Howard will make rehab appearances for single-A Lakewood as a designated hitter on Wednesday and Thursday. He is eligible to be activated from the disabled list on May 25.

Reliever

Tom Gordon,

who is on the disabled list with inflammation in his right shoulder, is set to be cleared medically tomorrow, when he will begin a light conditioning program. He had been in the hospital over the weekend with an upper respiratory infection.

Myers' theme song when he enters games is White Zombie's "Children of the Grave." The track, a version of the 1971 Black Sabbath original, is available on iTunes for 99 cents.

Why White Zombie?

"To get people pumped up," Myers said. "Doesn't it have that aura about it?"

The Phillies entered last night 15-9 since Manuel called a team meeting in Cincinnati on April 21. That's the second-best record in the National League in that span, behind the Brewers (16-7). Unfortunately for the Phillies, they have gained just a half-game on the Atlanta Braves (14-9) and New York Mets (14-9) in the National League East in that span. . . . First-base coach

Davey Lopes

missed his fourth consecutive game because of personal reasons. There was no word on when he would return.

- Todd Zolecki