Cincinnati Reds keep Brandon Phillips out of the lineup – MLB News
The Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, August 5, once again kept the second baseman Brandon Phillips out of the line-up, a move that was taken after much deliberation as the team manager indicated. Phillips is out of the line-up since Tuesday when he suffered from left calf strain.
The team manager acknowledged that keeping Phillips out once again was a tough decision, but all this is being done for the players own good.
"It was a tough decision, with much deliberation from our medical staff and Brandon and Walt [Jocketty, general manager]. We did the best thing for him," Baker said. "We're trying to get him back where he doesn't have to come out on defense, or we don't have to pinch-run for him so he doesn't take a chance on pulling that calf."
Brandon Phillips staying out of the Reds’ line-up does not augur well for Cincinnati since All-Star first baseman Joey Votto is also in the disabled list due to the knee surgery that he underwent last month.
While Votto’s absence did not apparently affect the club much, as they have won 16 of their last 19 games, Phillips being unable to make it to the line-up may impact the performance of the Reds in the days to come.
The Reds have so far avoided putting the second baseman’s name on the disabled list. However, how long they withhold the decision is not known. For now, caution is what is being exercised. Dusty Baker also admitted that it is not pleasant telling Phillips that the player is not the part of line-up.
However, there is a strong reason why the Reds are not willing to risk anything at this point in time. “Through much discussion, we decided it would be better medically because of the potential repercussions if he did hurt it seriously and how long he could be out,” said the manager.
It is worthwhile to recall here that all this while since the absence of Votto, Phillips has hit .339, something that has tremendously benefited the Reds, bringing them big victories in the Division and keeping them at top of the ranking.
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