MIAMI - We've reached the time of year the Phillies have waited for since they assembled on the dew-covered lawns of Clearwater, Fla., seven months ago.

At 5:18 yesterday afternoon, it became fall, the time of year when baseball's top teams come together to see who's best.

This Phillies team, like last year's, was built for the fall. It was built with winning the World Series in mind.

And so, on the first day of fall 2009, the Phillies won Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Florida Marlins, 9-3, and moved a step closer to wrapping up their third consecutive National League East flag.

This title quest feels different because the Phillies have a comfortable lead, as opposed to past years when they have chased the New York Mets. It lacks some juice because, let's face it, winning the division was a minimum expectation for this club.

In the first game of yesterday's doubleheader, the Phils showed why they could be dangerous again in October, and why there are reasons to be concerned that their stay in the postseason could be short.

Despite a ridiculous 16 strikeouts, the offense produced nine runs, and starting pitcher Joe Blanton went deep into the game with seven shutout innings.

Blanton's excellent start - he allowed just two hits, none after the second inning - was one of several the Phillies have gotten over the last week. Pedro Martinez, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee have gone deep into games and turned in gems. This is what the Phillies need, of course, for a couple of reasons:

First, you win with starting pitching.

Second, the more good starts the Phils get, the less they expose the team's weakness - the bullpen.

This might seem like an odd time to mention the bullpen as a weakness. Over the weekend in Atlanta, the 'pen was pretty good, picking up 16 innings and allowing just six earned runs.

Yesterday, however, illustrated some of the areas of concern. After Blanton departed, lefthander Sergio Escalona, pitching with a 9-0 lead, got an out in the eighth, then allowed a single to Chris Coghlan and a walk to Nick Johnson before Hanley Ramirez cracked a double. Coghlan and Johnson are lefthanded hitters. Escalona has to put at least one of them in his back pocket, or else the Phils need to find someone who can.

That's the rub. No one is blaming Escalona here. He's a rookie. He has made strides and might join Antonio Bastardo in a lefty relief tandem in years to come. But right now, he's not be ready to get big outs late in games. The Phillies need J.C. Romero and Scott Eyre to do that from the left side, but both are hurt.

So too is Chan Ho Park, who has been one of the Phils' best relievers this season, and Brett Myers, who the team hoped would provide an October lift in the bullpen.

Before yesterday's game, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. gave an Andy Reid-esque injury report. Save for some good news on catcher Carlos Ruiz's wrist - he started the second game - Amaro's entire report focused on the bullpen.

The rosy view: There's a possibility, a probability in some cases, that Romero, Eyre, Park, and Myers will be ready to return during the final days of the regular season next week.

The realistic view: Who knows how good any of these guys will be when they get back? This is major-league baseball. The guys on the other side are good, too, especially in the fall. A pitcher can't just parachute in from the disabled list and expect to be in top form. Sometimes it takes several outings to become effective again. In a short postseason, pitchers (and teams) don't always have the luxury of several outings.

"They could be rusty," Amaro acknowledged. "We're hoping they get back and get the reps needed to be sharp in their roles."

Amaro pointed out that the flip side of a rusty reliever is a fresh reliever. That's true, but wouldn't you still like to see some effectiveness from Romero, Eyre, Park, and Myers before the postseason gets going?

With so much of the bullpen's core in an uncertain state, much of the burden from here on out will fall on setup man Ryan Madson and closer Brad Lidge. After all the different end-of-game scenarios that had been drawn up because of Lidge's problems this season, everything is back to where it was on Day 1 - with Madson setting up and Lidge closing.

They've both done it before. They both have the stuff to do it again. In Lidge's case, he needs to start thinking he's the baddest man on the planet again. If he's timid with his stuff, he's in trouble, and so are the Phils. Bullpen depth (and effectiveness) is a serious concern with this team, and unless Blanton, Hamels, Lee, and the rest of the gang can keep going deep into games, the problem could be this team's ticket out of fall baseball in 2009.

Contact staff writer Jim Salisbury at 215-854-4983 or jsalisbury@phillynews.com.