Manuel said he wouldn't have it any other way.

"If you're a champ, you can play anywhere," he said.

But he also said he wouldn't mind pulling away from the pack, either.

Who wouldn't? The Phillies are 21-18 as they pass the quarter point of their season with a three-game series beginning tonight against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies sit in the middle of the NL East with the New York Mets and Braves. The surprising Florida Marlins are in first, the Washington Nationals in last.

The Phillies, who were 19-20 at this point last season, have won with better-than-expected pitching.

They have won with big first months from Chase Utley and Pat Burrell.

But they will need more contributions from more people the rest of the way.

They haven't had that lately. Utley and Burrell have cooled considerably since their torrid starts. Utley is hitting .143 (4 for 28) with two RBIs in his last eight games. Burrell is hitting .167 (4 for 24) with two RBIs. But so far, nobody has picked them up.

"We definitely are not hitting the ball," Manuel said. "We've got to hit better than we've been. We've got to get those lefties. We've got to do better on those lefties. That's a big weakness right now."

The Braves will throw three lefthanders against the Phillies: Jo-Jo Reyes, Tom Glavine and Chuck James. So Manuel will be counting on righthanded hitters like Burrell, Jayson Werth, Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz.

And it should help to have Jimmy Rollins back in the lineup.

It would help even more to have Ryan Howard heat up. Former Phillie Aaron Rowand said Saturday at AT&T Park that Howard is one of a few players - Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez being others - who can single-handedly carry a team for a stretch.

Howard has a hit in each of his last four games, which could be a step or two forward considering where he's been. He homered Saturday and tripled Sunday against the Giants.

But offense really shouldn't be a problem for this team. Even though the Phillies, who led the league in scoring the last two seasons, have hit .228 in their last 14 games, they still are tied for third in the league with 185 runs scored.

Like last season, pitching should be the determining factor. The Phillies had a 3.44 ERA last season when they overcame a 71/2-game deficit with 17 games to play to beat the Mets for the division title.

This season, the Phillies rank seventh in the league with a 4.07 ERA, but that success is attributable entirely to the bullpen and Cole Hamels.

The bullpen has a 2.72 ERA, the best in baseball. Brad Lidge is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and nine saves in 17 appearances. J.C. Romero is 3-1 with a 1.76 ERA. Tom Gordon is 3-1 with a 1.13 ERA since opening day. Chad Durbin is 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA. Rudy Seanez is 2-2 with a 1.80 ERA.

They have successfully shortened the game for Manuel, which is a good thing, because the rotation looks more and more like a concern.

Hamels (3.36) is the only starter with an ERA under 4.00. The others: Kyle Kendrick (4.93), Jamie Moyer (5.02), Brett Myers (5.33), Adam Eaton (5.40).

Phillies starters have a combined 4.73 ERA, which ranks 10th in the league. The Braves lead the league (3.38), while the Mets are sixth (4.04).

The Phillies will need to get better pitching from their rotation - especially Myers, who started on opening day - if they expect to hang with the Braves, Mets and Marlins as the season heads into the warmer months.

or tzolecki@phillynews.com. Read his blog at http://go.philly.com/phillieszone.