DaytonDailyNews.com

CINCINNATI – Hustle, timely hitting and a team mentality turns players into leaders.

Thursday night, Brandon Phillips put all of those attributes on display.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the score tied at three, Phillips delivered a single for two RBIs to put the Reds ahead of the Washington Nationals for good on the way to a 5-3 win.

"It was a relief to get some runs and get the lead back," Phillips said. "That's the name of the game: don't give up. Just play Reds baseball."

As if his single weren't enough, Phillips hustled to second on the throw to the plate.

"I was just trying to come through," he said. "The two-out hitting was big. We haven't done that."

After sliding into second base, Phillips stood up and did his best Dmitri Young celebration shimmy.

"I had to mess with (Young) and fire my team up," Phillips said. "You gotta pump the team up."

Phillips went 3-for-4 on the night with three singles and three RBIs. Young and the Nationals threatened to take back the lead in the eighth, but Phillips came up with a defensive gem to snap the Nationals' rally.

With men on first and second and no one out, Phillips ranged far to his left to snare Young's grounder. He then spun counter-clockwise and made the throw to second for the first out in a 4-6-3 double play.

"It looked like an impossible play," manager Dusty Baker said.

Reds starter Johnny Cueto had eight strikeouts in seven innings, while giving up seven hits and three earned runs. Phillips' clutch hit in the seventh inning made Cueto a winner, and he expressed his feelings in just one word.

"Happy."