The Phillies offense has been among the National League’s best the last two seasons, which have produced a pair of NL East titles and a World Series championship last fall.

The key difference between 2007 and 2008 was the pitching. The Phillies scored nearly 100 fewer runs last season, when runs and slugging in the majors was down over the year before, but the Philadelphia staff was markedly better in 2008.

Philadelphia Pitching, 2007 vs. 2008
(NL rank in parentheses)

Year. . . . .Record. . . . . ERA. . . . . . . . .OBA
2007. . . . . 89-73. . . . . 4.73 (13) . . . . . .276 (13)
2008. . . . . 92-70. . . . . 3.88 (4) . . . . . . .260 (8)

Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick posted similar win totals both years, though Moyer was markedly better last season and Kendrick wasn’t as effective. One reason for the improvement in 2008 was the return of Brett Myers to the rotation, who went 10-13 with a 4.55 ERA.

There’s also reason for optimism in 2009. Although Moyer may not duplicate his best season in years, Myers is a good bet to have a better 2009 -- and the Phillies will have July acquisition Joe Blanton for an entire season. The Phillies also have solid fifth-starter candidates in Kendrick, veteran Chan Ho Park and top prospects J.A. Happ and Carlos Carrasco.

There are question marks regarding Chase Utley’s rehabilitation from offseason hip surgery and the loss of slugger Pat Burrell to free agency, but Utley is taking batting practice and Raul Ibanez should provide enough offense in Burrell’s place. The Braves will have a rebuilt rotation and the Mets will have a better bullpen, but the Phils are still the team to beat in the NL East.