Before the Cincinnati Reds play the St. Louis Cardinals for the final time in September, it’s a good bet Brandon Phillips won’t have anything to say before the series.
Behind Adam Wainwright’s seven shutout innings and a fifth inning grand slam from Colby Rasmus, the Cardinals defeated the Reds 6-1 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep of Cincinnati.
The victory pushed St. Louis into sole possession of first place in the NL Central, one game ahead of Cincinnati.
St. Louis entered the series two games behind the Reds, but Phillips’ ill-advised comments regarding the Cardinals awakened a ball club that has played inconsistently all season.
Before the start of series opener on Monday, Phillips told Dayton Daily News columnist Hal McCoy that he hated the Cardinals, among other things.
“I’d play against these guys with one leg,” Phillips said. “We have to beat these guys. … All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little bitches all of ‘em.”
He went on to say, “I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear: I hate the Cardinals.”
The only thing that was little in this series was the Reds’ performance.
St. Louis outscored Cincinnati 21-8 and outhit them 35-18. Cincinnati only managed three extra base hits for the series and all of those came in the first game after the Cardinals were ahead 7-0.
Earlier Wednesday, former Reds’ second baseman Joe Morgan was on Scott Van Pelt’s ESPN Radio program discussing Tuesday’s brawl between the teams.
Morgan said no one in the Reds clubhouse had a problem with what Phillips had to say about the Cardinals. But how Phillips’ comments were received in the Cincinnati clubhouse is irrelevant.
Apparently what escaped Morgan was the effect it had on the Cardinals, and it clearly had an effect.
I’m having a hard time believing Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds – two former Cardinal players – didn’t have a problem with Phillips’ comments.
Van Pelt commented that as a fan, he’d expect Phillips to say he hated the team most believed was the best in the division.
That’s fine, if your comments are limited to expressing your dislike for an opponent. But when you step over the line and call the team to beat in the division little bitches, then you get what you deserve.
If Van Pelt and Morgan think grown men on a major league baseball team are going to laugh off being called little bitches, then the Cardinals dominance in this series is all the proof anyone needs.
If the Cardinals play the remaining 49 games on their schedule the same way they played in Cincinnati, they can thank Brandon Phillips for providing the motivation.
