"All-Star Brandon Phillips batting leadoff originally was a temporary thing, but lately has become more permanent.

Reds manager Dusty Baker said he will continue to bat Phillips first for the foreseeable future. Phillips is hitting .318 (14-for-44) since becoming the leadoff hitter 10 games ago.

Phillips hit fourth earlier in the season, then second, and now first.

"Second was temporary, too," Baker said. "Batting second, that's when we really took off, when he started batting second and (Scott) Rolen moved to fourth."

Orlando Cabrera was leading off for a while before he hit a slump.

Enter Phillips.

"Cabrera was playing lights-out, and then he got a little cold," Baker said. "We flip-flopped those guys, and then Brandon got hotter. I don't know how long it's going to last.

"If Brandon gets cold and Cabrera gets hot, I might flip them again.""