Reds' Brandon Phillips shines on big stage

Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — He taps his helmet with his bat after hits, barehands balls when he doesn't have to, tweets away with abandon and occasionally incites a brawl.

Brandon Phillips does plenty of things to draw attention, and the Cincinnati Reds second baseman is the first one to acknowledge he relishes the spotlight.

Problem is, there hasn't much attention to go around in small-market Cincinnati, which until Saturday had not won a playoff game since 1995. The last time the Reds were in the postseason, in 2010, they got bounced out in three games by the Philadelphia Phillies and were no-hit by Roy Halladay.

Cincinnati's extended spell of futility ended with Saturday's 5-2 victory against the San Francisco Giants in a National League Division Series, and Phillips' fingerprints were all over it.

His two-run homer off Matt Cain in the third, less than two innings after the Reds lost starter Johnny Cueto with back spasms, put them ahead 2-0 and lifted the club's spirits.

"It was confidence-building," first baseman Joey Votto said. "Any time you don't have any runs and then instantaneously you put two on the board, it's good for your confidence, good for the team. It gave us some breathing room."

Phillips also drove in a third run with a ninth-inning single, and his elusive baserunning on a Votto grounder to second in the eighth avoided a double play and extended the inning, although the Reds did not score.

The standout game presented further proof of how much Phillips enjoys performing when the lights shine brightest. The two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glover batted .333 in the NLDS sweep, which he calls "a learning experience" for the Reds. This time around he wanted to make sure he and his teammates enjoy a longer postseason.

"They know I'm the guy that can get things going, and they knew I was going to have a good game," Phillips said. "They said something about me being on TV (so) I'm going to shine. I do love the TV, though."

And the still cameras. And the microphones. And any opportunity to showcase his lively personality and flashy game.

Phillips, 31, won't waste a chance to make an eye-catching play, as when he barehanded a Pablo Sandoval bouncer in the fifth inning even though he had time to catch it with his glove. But he's fundamentally sound enough to have committed less than 10 errors in each of the last six seasons, including five in 2012.

Does enjoying the limelight help him perform better in October?

"It's a good time to be famous," said Phillips who signed a six-year, $72.5 million extension in April. "Either you're going to be famous in a good way or a bad way, and I want to be famous in a good way. Some people like the spotlight, some people don't. I'm the type of person I love playing this game.

"When you are playing a game that you love and you get paid for, nothing beats that, especially when you're on TV and all your family and friends and fans are watching and you want to go out there and perform for them and for yourself."

Phillips gives himself a congratulatory tap on the helmet with the bat after hits, as a way of celebrating staying through the ball, the kind of antic he acknowledges doesn't always sit well with opponents.

Two years ago, after he said publicly, "I hate the Cardinals," he tried tapping the shin guard of St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina, who rebuffed his gesture and confronted him, sparking a brawl.

In September, Phillips took exception to getting hit by a pitch from the Pittsburgh Pirates' Jared Hughes, and the two exchanged words on the field. Phillips later posted a tweet that implied a racist remark was shouted his way, without specifying from whom. He and Hughes later cleared the air.

"Brandon is a ballplayer, and that's all I can say," manager Dusty Baker said. "He plays all phases of the game, and he enjoys playing and he's a smart ballplayer."