Well, he’s done it again. Brett Myers has been en fuego since his stint as a Lehigh Valley Iron Pig. He didn’t pitch exceptionally well while he was with the Phillies AAA affiliate, but ever since his return to the major leagues he’s tried to steal a teammate’s nickname of “lights out”. Friday night he continued the success he’s had since the All-Star break by beating the NL East leading Mets.

Brett Myers won his sixth game since returning to the majors on Friday night (Kathy Willens/AP Photo).

In his eight innings of work, Myers struck out 10 and allowed only three hits. Where was Brett in the first half of the season? Who knows. Maybe he was scared away from the Iron Pigs promotion I can only assume they called “Bill Conlin Night” (Adam Eaton stayed for it though). Now however, Myers is white hot, going 6-1 since the break with an ERA of 1.55.

While he dominated New York tonight however, lost in the sub-plot of the Phillies comeback attempt at their own division crown, is their still very apparent lack of offense. The Phils have lost some close games recently and with a little help from a lineup that was projected to put up the likes of 4, 5, 6 runs a game, is just not living up to the hype. This critical time in the season is what defines a team, and this batting order is just not getting it done.

Yes, the Fightin’s (who have been anything but recently) won tonight and perhaps I should just take solace in that, but I can’t. This team was playoff-bound last year, and I don’t think they got worse on paper. They did lose Aaron Rowand, but what other big losses did the Phils have? They gained a gigantic plus in closer Brad Lidge who notched his 34th save of the season Friday night. Their pitching in fact has been pretty good all year.

Even though one run was enough for Myers to get the win tonight, that won’t be the case every night. This series in particular is crucial to the Phillies season. Had they gotten swept their season could very well have been over. While there are still two games left to play against the Metropolitans, the Phillies have to play like the playoffs are NOW.