Brandon Phillips’s comments from Sunday served as the catalyst for the brawl that erupted in last night’s game between the NL Central co-leaders. 

It was Phillips who said, “I hate the Cardinals. All they do is b***h and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little b****es, all of ’em.”

That comment, followed by an unwelcome tap of Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina’s shinguards, turned into a face-to-face spat between Phillips and Molina before a bench-clearing brawl broke out between the two teams.

But after the brawl, it was the Reds who limped off the field in an 8-4 loss that cost them sole possession of the division. That may be a gloomy sign for a team that could suffer backlash from Phillips’ bravado.

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