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Phils blank Nationals behind gem by Myers

Aug 21, 2008 - 5:33 AM By Vince DiGregorio PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Brett Myers continued his successful return from a minor-league mechanical tune-up.

Myers tossed his third career shutout and Greg Dobbs hit a two-run home run as the Philadelphia Phillies sent the Washington Nationals to their 12th straight defeat with a 4-0 victory on Wednesday.

Myers (6-10) was making his sixth start since spending three weeks in July on a minor-league assignment working on his mechanics. The righthander threw 119 pitches while scattering nine hits with one walk and nine strikeouts for his first complete game of the season and seventh of his career.

"I've still got to throw strikes," Myers said. "You never know how you're gonna feel when you go out there. I don't think it's a confidence issue anymore. I think it's more or less location and throwing strikes."

Myers' last complete game came on September 20, 2006 against the Chicago Cubs.

"Honestly, (a complete game) didn't really cross my mind," Myers said. "I did give up nine hits. That's something that I didn't particularly like. I just tried to give a good, solid outing. Good enough for our team to win. That's all that really matters at this point."

It was the third career shutout for Myers and first since May 20, 2004 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"For him to go nine innings and shut (Washington) out was big," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "I think he's (always) capable of pitching like he did tonight.

"I think it's what we've always expected of him really. When you hand him the ball, you've got a chance for him to pitch a game like that."

Philadelphia was leading 1-0 in the fifth inning before adding three runs. After Shane Victorino led off with a single, Dobbs drove a 2-2 pitch off Collin Balester (2-6) into the right field seats for his sixth home run of the season to increase the margin to 3-0.

"I hit it kind of towards the end of the bat," Dobbs said. "I was just trying to put the ball in play hard."

Dobbs has been the Phillies best pinch hitter off the bench, but had gotten more starts at third base in place of Pedro Feliz, who was activated off the disabled list prior to the game.

"No matter who's activated or on the DL, my mindset has always been the same," Dobbs said. "Always come to the field prepared and ready to play in whatever capacity.

"With Pedro being back, I don't know what their plan is gonna be. I don't know if my starts will be cut down a little more, but it's not gonna change my preparation."

Jayson Werth later blooped an RBI double down the right field line that made it, 4-0.

The win helped the Phillies (68-58) stay 1 1/2 games behind the New York Mets (70-57) for first place in the National League East.

"We've just got to win," Myers said. "We can't worry about what the Mets are doing. We've been in this situation before, so we're not really getting too amped up about it. "I figure if we stay within 1-to-3 games (behind), we're gonna be fine down the stretch."

The Phillies began the game as if they were the team in last place instead of Washington after committing two errors in the first two innings. However, the Nationals failed to capitalize both times.

"(The errors) didn't really bother me because I knew I was one pitch away from getting out of the inning at all times," Myers said. "You just try to pitch around those mistakes and go from there."

Lastings Milledge almost gave Washington the lead in the third, but his deep fly with two outs hit the top of the left field fence and stayed in play for a double. Myers then got Ronnie Belliard on a called third strike for the final out.

"With the way the game started, I thought that we were gonna be able to do some damage," Nationals manager Manny Acta said. "After the first third of the game, (Myers) just pounded the strike zone."

Philadelphia took advantage of an error to score an unearned run off Balester in the third without benefit of a hit.

Balester quickly got himself in a jam by walking Dobbs before hitting Coste with a pitch. After Myers bunted into a fielder's choice, Anderson Hernandez made a poor relay throw on a potential inning-ending double play grounder by Jimmy Rollins that scored Coste to make it, 1-0.

Balester went six innings and surrendered four runs - three earned - on seven hits.