"Brandon Phillips was back to batting leadoff Wednesday, and the Reds usually have excelled with him in that spot in their order.

It didn't work out that way Wednesday when Phillips, like the rest of the Reds, was held hitless by Philadelphia's Roy Halladay in a 4-0 loss to the Phillies in the National League Division Series opener.

But in the regular season, Cincinnati was 43-29 with Phillips leading off.

Phillips, who went 0-for-4 with a strikeout Wednesday, had not hit leadoff much recently. A slump led to him being dropped in the order after Sept. 24, and since then he had batted leadoff only twice before Wednesday.

Before the game, Reds manager Dusty Baker said Phillips, who hit .353 over his last 11 regular-season appearances, was a natural to bat first in the playoffs.

"Things are always subject to change but, right now, we'll feel comfortable with him there. He's swinging the bat well."

Phillips was hitting .290 as of Aug. 25, when he was struck on his right hand by a 95 mph fastball from San Francisco pitcher Santiago Casilla. He missed six starts because of a swollen hand, then took a while to regain his stroke."