What should the Cincinnati Reds do with Brandon Phillips and his big mouth? Not only that, but Phillips used to have a habit of needing to tap the pads of the opposing catcher in his first at-bat of a game. Phillips' big mouth and his bad habit cost the Reds two very important games with the St. Louis Cardinals. Phillips got the Cardinals worked up, and the sleeping giant awoke to knock the Reds back into second place in the NL East.
The Reds have since quieted Phillips, and broke him of his bad habit, but the damage is done. The Reds and Brandon Phillips are marked by the rest of the NL as disrespectful, and that means that everyone will be gunning for Brandon Phillips and the reds.
Next up for the Reds is the Florida Marlins. The Marlins have not made many headlines this season, and they currently sit eight and a half games out of first place in the NL East. But Florida is only seven and a half games out of the NL Wild Card race, and one of the teams they have to leap-frog to get to the wild card is the Reds.
The brawl with the Cardinals cost the Reds a pitcher and a catcher. The Reds starting rotation is in disarray, and it is difficult to say who will start this first game of the series. Bronson Arroyo just pitched two nights ago, so he will not be able to start until at least the second game of this series. It looks like the strongest candidate to start this game could be Mike Leake, or the Reds may call up someone from AAA ball to start.
The Marlins are taking advantage of the chaos in the Reds starting rotation to get some playing time for pitcher Sean West. West is a minor league prospect who is 0-1 in the majors with a 7.20 ERA. West's only decision in the majors was a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins are hoping for a future from West, but he needs more fine-tuning in the minors. This game is just a chance for West to take advantage of a team that is reeling from their own actions right now.
Brandon Phillips has probably learned his lesson, but he has learned it way too late. The Reds are on a slide. They have a three-game losing streak going that has cost them first place in the NL East, and a great deal of their confidence. There is a lot of veteran leadership in the Reds' locker room, and the Reds are hoping that the team can pull itself together and regain its NL East crown.
Pick: Cincinnati Reds 5-2
