Phillips has at least one hit in eight of his past nine games and in 13 of his past 15, and he's now batting .359 over 25 games in the cleanup spot this season.
"He's not missing pitches to hit, and he's fighting real hard with two strikes and keeping the at-bats going," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "It's not just that he's swinging the bat so well, but he's a guy that puts the ball in play at a high rate."
Phillips has done exactly that the past two days, albeit with an 0-for-4 during Saturday night's loss sandwiched in between, and has helped solidify the spot behind Joey Votto.