Blanton struck out seven and gave up one run in six innings in his first postseason start, helping the Phillies win the series three games to one and advance to the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"He pitched a crucial game," Gillick said. "He said, 'Here it is, hit it if you can.' I think he did a fantastic job."

Blanton didn't get the official word he was starting Game 4 until late Saturday night. However, he kept telling himself he was going to pitch.

"I felt like it was the best way to approach it," Blanton said. "I think it's one of those things if you put too much into it, you are going to try too hard. My thinking was to just treat it like normal."

There was so much talk about the Phillies' lineup that the pitchers almost went unnoticed into the postseason.

But you couldn't help but see the starters against Milwaukee. If it weren't for Cole Hamels, Brett Myers and Blanton, the Phillies would have either been packing their bags early or playing Game 5 in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

But Blanton put on stellar performance to clinch the series, giving the Phillies a few extra days of rest before Thursday's Game 1 of the NLCS.

"That's the best I've seen him pitch," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "I've seen him pitch two or three good games. Today, he challenged the hitters. He was very aggressive. He definitely wasn't scared of nothing."

Blanton was 4-0 with a 4.20 ERA in 13 starts during the regular season with Philadelphia.

He got close to Myers. To some, that could be a scary relationship because Myers is such an emotional player.

According to Jimmy Rollins, Blanton sits behind Myers on the plane and just listens.

"He's a good listener," Myers concedes.

But it's more than that between the two right-handed pitchers. "He kind of sits back and takes everything in," Myers said. "There could be something that I might have seen when I was against these guys. We have the same kind of stuff. It's something that is easy to get along with."

When Blanton was traded from Oakland, he knew he was with a team that could be a postseason threat. Now Blanton is part of that threat.

"It's a great team to be part of," he said. "They have a never-say-die attitude. It's always fun to pitch for a team like that. Even when you give up runs, you are never out of the game."

E-mail Susan Lulgjuraj:

slulgjuraj@pressofac.com