The Cincinnati Reds haven’t made the playoffs since 1995, and the only thing standing in the way of winning the National League Central outright are the St. Louis Cardinals. The two teams have a crucial three-game series this week and everybody knows it including Reds’ second baseman, Brandon Phillips.

“I’d play against these guys with one leg. We have to beat these guys. I hate the Cardinals. All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little bitches, all of ‘em. I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear – I hate the Cardinals.”

Phillips was out of the lineup on Sunday versus the Cubs because he fouled a ball off his shin the day before, but he returned Monday night to face the Cardinals. He went 0-for-5 .

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said in response to Phillips, “We win the right way and we lose the right way. We’ve received a lot of compliments over the years that when we lose we tip our caps and when we win we keep our mouths shut, that’s my comment.”

La Russa added, “I don’t think that will go over well in his own clubhouse. Phillips is ripping his teammates – Scott Rolen, Miguel Cairo, Russ Springer, Jim Edmonds – all the ex-Cardinals over there. He isn’t talking about this year. He is talking about the way we’ve always played and those guys are old Cardinals. Tell him he’s ripping his own teammates because they are all old Cardinals.”

Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News speculates that Phillips said this due to the gamesmanship by La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan in previous series. La Russa and Duncan complained about the slickness of the balls at Great American Ball Park and something on Bronson Arroyo’s hat.