Cincinnati Reds’ Brandon Phillips for stepping up efforts as postseason games near – MLB News
Cincinnati Reds' second baseman Brandon Phillips said on Wednesday, September 26, that the team needs to step up now, moments after the Milwaukee Brewers overwhelmed them with an 8-1 win. Even though the Reds have made it to the playoffs, a lot needs to be put in order as complacency is something they want to avoid.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know what it is," second baseman Brandon Phillips said. "I don't know why we're not getting hits. Maybe it's because we made the playoffs. But we need to wake up. We're just not getting it done right now. I feel like we need to step it up, especially me."
Wednesday’s game saw the Reds’ offence being unable to strike just when it was desperately needed. Add to it the inability of the defence to keep the Brewers batters at bay, which resulted in the latter putting eight runs.
Bronson Arroyo, the Reds' starter, failed spectacularly to provide a solid start to Cincinnati as the bullpen could not put up a solid defence either. With such scenario facing the Reds' defence, the batters did not seem to have the aggressive play exhibited throughout the season.
For the Brewers, it was Shaun Marcum who changed the outlook of the game, drawing manager Ron Roenicke’s praise as he said, "Today was the way he pitches. Today we were really happy with the way he threw the ball. This is how he pitches when he's really going well."
As the postseason games near, Reds are grappling with a host of challenges. For now, the manager Dusty Baker is out of dugout due to the minor stroke he suffered last week.
In his absence, it is the bench coach Chris Speier, who is serving as acting manager. Reds now have two more series to play to conclude the season, one of which will be against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the other against St. Louis Cardinals.
With the crucial National League Division Series ahead, the focus undeniably remains the postseason games. However, the remaining games against the rivals in the regular season will demonstrate how prepared the Reds are to deal with the tough challenges ahead.
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