Cincinnati Reds Brandon Phillips: Oops!...He Did It Again

When asked about his latest exhibition of how not to play the game, Brandon Phillips said, "I was just happy I finally did something with runners in scoring position. I hit a fly ball to get the run and I was satisfied with that. I could have done worse and not get the run in at all."

After Willy Taveras, Jerry Hairston, and Joey Votto each hit balls off the outfield wall, Phillips hit a fly ball to right-center field.

It should have been caught, but confusion between the outfielders allowed it to fall. Phillips was not hustling out of the box and was thrown out at second base by Andre Ethier.

Instead of a runner in scoring position and nobody out, the Reds sent Laynce Nix to the plate with the bases empty and one out. Nix hit a fly ball to center for the second out. After Edwin Encarnacion walked, Chris Dickerson popped out to end the inning.

A promising start quickly took a turn for the worse as the Dodgers went on to win 7-5.

"I messed up," Phillips said. "That is my second time not hustling this year. It won't happen again."

Blah, blah, blah. I am tired of his act.

Dusty Baker was not a happy camper after the game. However, I think it is a little late for disciplinary action now.

Baker should have pulled Phillips immediately.

Most athletes have short memories and big bank accounts. Benching a player the following day is not much different than a regular day off. A fine would be paid and forgotten in the blink of an eye.

Pride is about the only thing a manager can take from a player. Being removed by your own manager for disciplinary reasons would be a slap in the face...so is killing a rally just because you were not hustling.