Brandon Phillips says Reds are better than Brewers

For the first time since July 2006, the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds with a 5-2 victory Sunday at Miller Park.

Milwaukee won the series' first game 3-2 Friday on just three hits, two of which were home runs by Prince Fielder and Corey Hart.

In game two Saturday, the Brewers fell behind 3-0 in the first inning before a three-run home run by Fielder sparked the team's offense, which later scored six runs in the fifth inning and put up 16 hits in the game to take the series from the Reds with a 9-5 win.

Finally, the Brewers earned the sweep Sunday, scoring five runs in the first three innings to give Yovani Gallardo all the run support needed to down the Reds.

Still, after losing three straight to the Brewers at Miller Park, Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips insists his Reds — who had won four straight and five of their last six games heading into the series — are the better team.

"I feel like we're a better team than the Brewers," Phillips told reporters after Sunday's game. "But today, they executed better than we did. They did the little things. We didn't do the little things the last two games. That's why they won the game."

How can Phillips still say his team is better even after the Brewers outplayed the Reds for three straight games?

Or what about the fact Milwaukee is 3 1/2 games ahead of Cincinnati in the NL Central division standings? If the Reds were the better team wouldn't they have a better ranking than the Brewers?

Maybe Phillips is just trying to remain positive, but it seems to me the Reds' second baseman is simply unable to realize his team is not as good as the Milwaukee Brewers. Or maybe he injured more than just his wrist when he went on the DL back in late April?

Whatever it is, it's hard for me to accept his argument. The Brewers did the small things right and executed better than the Reds over the course of the three games at Miller Park this weekend. And they've been doing it better than Cincinnati all season. Tell me again how the Reds are better than the Brewers?

In fact, Phillips even disproved his own theory:

"Good teams do little things to win," he said. "We got to do small things. Get them over, get them in and they executed. That's why they are in first place."

If that's why they're in first place, then why do you still think you're team is the better team? Be realistic Brandon, the Reds could be the better team over the long haul of the season, but right now, they simply are not.

And until you prove otherwise, they won't be.