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Myers hoping to end five-game winless drought

May 19, 2008 - 1:47 PM Philadelphia (24-21) at Washington (19-26) 7:10 pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - After re-inventing himself as a closer in 2007, Brett Myers' return to the top of the Philadelphia Phillies' rotation was supposed to be seamless. It has been anything but.

The Phillies attempt to get a rare solid start from Myers as they begin a three-game set with the Washington Nationals on Monday.

After posting 54 wins as a starter with Philadelphia from 2002-06, Myers moved to the bullpen last season, successfully recording 21 saves in 24 opportunities. However, with the offseason trade for Brad Lidge from Houston, the righthander was asked to return to the rotation.

Unfortunately for Myers, it has been a rough transition, with his last start registering as one of his worst turns as a starter. He surrendered a career-high worst eight runs - six earned - over a season-low 4 1/3 innings in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to Atlanta.

After his last outing, Myers' ERA stands out as the highest on the Phillies' staff, largely contributing to his five-game winless drought.

While not as pronounced, Tim Redding (5-3, 3.55 ERA) will be looking to overcome his own struggles, at least at home. The righthander is just 2-3 with a 4.26 ERA in six turns at Nationals Park, a far cry from his 3-0 mark and 2.37 ERA in three starts away from home.

His last start provided yet another example of his success away from home as he allowed just one run over six innings in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the New York Mets.