Brandon Phillips ran into some tough luck over the weekend. (Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE)
NEW YORK — The next-to-last thing Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips wanted to do Sunday afternoon was leave the game. However, he didn’t feel he had much of a choice after doing the last thing he wanted — cost the Reds a run.
Phillips, who was already battling a jammed left thumb, jammed his right pinkie as he tried to make a diving catch in the fifth inning of the Reds’ 7-2 loss to the Mets at Citi Field.
An inning later, Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada hit a likely inning-ending double-play ball to third baseman Todd Frazier, but Phillips couldn’t get a good grip on the ball and skipped his throw to first baseman Joey Votto.
As the ball squirted away, Eric Campbell raced home from third for New York’s third run of the inning to extend the Mets’ lead to 6-2.
“I know (Reds trainer) Paulie (Lessard) tried to pull me out of the game (after the dive), but I tried to stay in again,” Phillips said, “But it ended up costing our team another run when I tried to turn that double play. So sometimes you have to listen to the trainers instead of trying to man up for the team.”
Phillips offered up a frank assessment of how his hands felt — “They suck right now.” — that indicated he may not be in the lineup when the Reds return home to face the Minnesota Twins on Monday. Manager Bryan Price said he expected Phillips to ice both hands Sunday night.
Before exiting Sunday, Phillips went 1-for-3 with a homer leading off the first inning. He has a hit in all 32 games he has played against the Mets in New York, which ties him with Luis Castillo for the longest hitting streak by a visiting player at Shea Stadium and/or Citi Field. Phillips’ streak dates back to June 19, 2006, when the Mets still played at Shea.
