"Know thyself."

Know who you are. Know what is best for you. Know what you can do, mentally and physically.

The Phillies thought they knew themselves when they opened the season March 31 against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. They would score a ton of runs, and hope their pitching could do just enough to help them win.

"It was a little bit different," as it turned out, general manager Pat Gillick said. "We started out the season going to maul everybody. We were going to win with offense. We've really kind of gone to, in some ways, a playoff-type team, because we're pitching- and defense-oriented. It seems like we like to score runs in one inning, then forget about it for a while until the other team gets a little closer and start to nudge us. Then we'll score another run or two."

The Phillies led the National League with 2,564 runs in Manuel's first three seasons as manager from 2005-07. They were second in the league with 596 home runs. They had a deserved reputation as an offensive powerhouse with a lineup that included Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Pat Burrell. They also had a deserved reputation as a team that allowed a lot of runs, too. The Phillies had a 4.52 earned run average in that three-year span, which was 13th in the league.

That changed.

The Phils finished second in the league this season with 799 runs scored. They led the league with 214 home runs. But they also finished fourth with a 3.88 ERA. Their bullpen had a 3.18 ERA, which led the league. They also had just 15 blown saves, the fewest in the league.

How did it happen?

The Phillies opened the season with Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick and Adam Eaton in the rotation. They finished with Hamels, Myers, Moyer, Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ.

Hamels, who will start Game 1 of the National League Championship Series tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park, continued to be himself, meaning he pitched like an ace. Moyer went 14-12 with a 5.01 ERA in 2007 but improved to 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA this season. Myers rebounded from a terrible first half to become one of the team's best pitchers in the second half.

The Phils got Blanton in a trade with the Oakland Athletics during the all-star break. It turned out to be a great move, but not just because he went 4-0 with a 4.20 ERA in 13 starts. It also got Eaton out of the rotation. His three-year, $24.5 million contract has been a disaster.

Happ replaced Kendrick, who had been struggling, and made two strong starts against the Atlanta Braves in the last couple of weeks of the season.

"The bullpen really came together," closer Brad Lidge noted.

It did.

Lidge pitched OK last season with the Houston Astros, but he needed a change of scenery. However, he started the season on the disabled list because of a knee injury. The Phillies had concerns about the health of setup man Tom Gordon. Chad Durbin was an unknown quantity. Ryan Madson had been hurt much of last season. J.C. Romero was their only lefthanded reliever.

"It's the process of the year," Durbin said. "It's the way the season plays out more than anything. You play a certain amount of games and you reevaluate."

Lidge turned out to be a stud, saving 41 games in 41 save opportunities. Madson worked himself into the setup role after Gordon went on the disabled list in July - never to return. Romero and Durbin also became go-to men for Manuel in the late innings.

The Phillies then acquired lefty Scott Eyre in a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 7. He went 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 19 appearances.

"You find ways to win. You find ways to not lose," Durbin said. "You figure your formula will present itself."

The Phillies like this formula much better because pitching is big in the playoffs.

Gillick, who has taken four teams to the league championship series, knows that better than anybody.

at 215-854-4874

or tzolecki@phillynews.com.

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at http://go.philly.com/phillieszone.