" It was all fun and games for Brett Myers yesterday until he got hurt.

Even then, the former Phillies righthander remained in good spirits after facing the team that drafted, developed and paid him for the first 11 seasons of his professional baseball career.

Myers, a first-round pick in 1999, returned to his old spring-training home with the Houston Astros, a team that is filled with a long list of former Phillies players, coaches and front-office personnel, including general manager Ed Wade and third baseman Pedro Feliz.

Because it was a Grapefruit League game that will be erased from memory when the regular season opens in 10 days, Myers was able to relax and enjoy the experience. As soon as the Astros' team bus arrived from Kissimmee, Myers made a beeline for the Phillies' side of the diamond and chatted up old acquaintances.

And when he went to work a few hours later, the 29-year-old righthander, who created and encountered his share of turbulence in Philadelphia, continued to crack jokes with his former teammates during the Phillies' 8-7 exhibition victory at Bright House Field.

The only thing that wasn't funny was the strained left groin that Myers suffered while covering first base in the bottom of the sixth inning. Myers tried to throw one warm-up pitch after getting the first out of the inning, then decided to shut it down.

"I just felt it a little bit when I ran over to [cover] first," Myers said. "I felt a little pinch in there, so I just decided to throw one [pitch] and see what happens. I felt it a little bit, and I didn't want to take a chance. It wasn't painful enough to where I thought it could be serious. It was kind of minor, but I didn't want to risk it."

After the game, Astros manager Brad Mills, a former Phillies coach, said he thinks Myers will be able to make his next scheduled spring-training start, which is Tuesday against the Phillies in Kissimmee. Myers, penciled in as the Astros' third starter, is not expected to pitch against the Phillies when the teams meet in Houston during the first weekend series of the season next month.

Myers walked off to a nice ovation from the crowd after encountering a few boos during some earlier plate appearances.

"I felt appreciated when I came out of the game and they all stood up and clapped for me," Myers said. "That was very respectful. Philly fans get a bad rap, but they're loyal to the guys that played there and have done things for the organization. I really appreciated that. That was classy."

During his 51/3 innings, Myers smiled and laughed a lot as he exchanged words with manager Charlie Manuel, rightfielder Jayson Werth and opposing pitcher Kyle Kendrick."