Easy does it

PHILADELPHIA – Jimmy Rollins blares hip-hop music from his personal sound system, Ryan Howard chats with anyone who approaches and Shane Victorino bounces through the clubhouse seeking his next laugh.

Looking for Chase Utley? Check the video room or batting cages. Ditto for Raul Ibanez, though he could be working out. You can find Jamie Moyer sitting at his locker reading fan mail or talking baseball with a young pitcher.

These are the Philadelphia Phillies. Every day. Win or lose.

“It’s the mentality in here,” pitcher Joe Blanton said. “We go out, play hard and stay relaxed whether we’ve won eight in a row or lost eight in a row. Everyone trusts in their abilities.”

The defending World Series champions have been winning a whole lot more than losing lately. The Phillies just completed their first 10-game winning streak in 18 years and have a comfortable lead atop the N.L. East standings.

It’s been quite a turnaround for a team that was floundering when this month started. The Phillies went 4-11 against A.L. East opponents in late June, and then got swept in a three-game series by the Atlanta Braves, dropping their lead in the division to one game on July 2. But Philadelphia won 15 of its next 17 and holds a 61/2-game lead over Florida entering today’s games.

No one panicked when the Phillies lost 14 of 18, including a 1-8 homestand. Players didn’t change their routines or act any differently than they do now. Manager Charlie Manuel didn’t juggle his lineup or criticize guys. Instead, he preached patience, encouraged the team and motivated them to snap out of their funk.

“I think it becomes a feeling where you expect to win, but on this club you get that feeling all the time,” said Ibanez, a key reason the Phillies are playing so well. “Even when we lost a couple and went through that little rut, you can’t tell. Guys are preparing the same way, guys are intense every day. Nobody gets complacent in here.”

Complacency doesn’t go over well in fickle Philly. Players wouldn’t get away with putting it on cruise control, especially with fans packing Citizens Bank Park. There were 40 sellouts in the first 48 games, and red has replaced green as the fashionable color in the streets. Need more evidence that baseball has won over this football-crazed city? The intoxicated knuckleheads rarely chant E-A-G-L-E-S when the home team is losing.

The Phillies are not only in an unfamiliar position as the toast of the town, but they’re not used to being ahead of the pack in the East. They had to rally in September the last two years to overtake the New York Mets. Now the Phillies are the ones trying to avoid a collapse.

“The way I look at it, and I’m sure the way a lot of our players look at, is we do the day-to-day thing,” Manuel said. “We come out here and try to win every day. Having a lead is great. Challenging yourself to add to that lead is good. That kind of shows what kind of team we have. We want to add to that lead and see how big of a lead we can get. Let’s play the best we can and see what happens. We’ll keep playing until someone tells us to go home.”

In 2007, the Fightin’ Phils overcame a seven-game deficit with 17 remaining and surpassed New York on the final day to capture their first division title in 14 years. After celebrating like they’d won it all, the Phillies got swept by Colorado in the first round.

Determined to go deeper in the postseason, the Phillies still had to catch the Mets last year. They were 31/2 games behind with 16 to play, but won 12 of the next 15 to clinch on the next-to-last day of the season.

Riding the momentum from a strong finish, Philadelphia cruised through October and captured the second World Series title in franchise history. The Phillies went 11-3 in the playoffs against Milwaukee, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay, losing one road game in each series.

Since ending the city’s 25-year championship drought and hoisting that World Series trophy in front of a delirious crowd, the Phillies have stressed their goal is to do it again. They want to become the first repeat champions since the New York Yankees won three straight titles from 1998-2000. The Cincinnati Reds were the last N.L. team to win two in a row in 1975-76.

“When we’re at our best, we’re tough to beat,” said outfielder Jayson Werth, one of five All-Stars in the lineup. “We’re a second-half club. Down the stretch is when we play our best. You’ll see our best in September and October.”