CINCINNATI • What the Cardinals need to do is hire someone to make a talking Brandon Phillips doll, complete with batteries and a little Reds uniform. When feeling a little flat, the Cardinals can place the wee Phillips doll in the middle of the clubhouse, pull his string and laugh as he repeats all of his stupid lines.

Think of those "Lil Penny" commercials that Nike used to air.

The BP doll's greatest hits would include:

"I really hate the Cardinals!"

"They're all little bitches!"

"I'd play against the Cardinals on one leg!"

"I know we're a better team than them all-around!"

"I love the Chicago Cubs!"

The Phillips doll also could offer commentary on his own performance with lines such as, "Oh, snap! Another ground-out!"

Um, maybe this is a bad idea.

I can picture a violent reaction from Chris Carpenter.

Besides, the Cardinals got everything they needed from the real Brandon Phillips during a particularly emphatic three-game beatdown of the Reds at the unfilled Great American Ball Park.

Phillips couldn't have done this any better if the Cardinals were paying him under the table to sabotage the Reds.

Phillips ticked the Cardinals off, raised their intensity and put them in the mood for a kill. Phillips gave manager Tony La Russa and his players a common cause. And after this low-rent Ochocinco/T.O. wannabe put himself on center stage to command the attention he hungered for, Phillips shriveled up. He gagged on all of the brave words by going two for 14 in the series.

It's kind of interesting that the dude's initials are BP, isn't it?

Phillips called out the Cardinals.

The Cardinals knocked out the Reds.

"There were a lot of things going on," Cardinals second baseman Skip Schumaker said. "A couple of guys on their side were speaking their mind, and it was a test for us, no doubt about it. They were in first place, and we needed to catch them. I think it just proves we're just as good as them, if not better. And that we can compete with them no matter what. And it's going to be a war until the very end. I don't think they're going away anytime soon, but I think I like our chances."

The Cardinals walked all over Phillips to reach first place and jump to 15 games over .500 at 64-49. The visitors outscored the Reds 21-8 and outhit them 35-18. The Reds managed only three extra-base hits the entire series; all three came in the first game, after the Cardinals had bull-rushed to a 7-0 lead. Cincinnati's output over the final two games: 11 singles.

The Cardinals had a lot more kick than Johnny Cueto, that's for sure. (And by the way, here's Walt Jocketty's next move: Hire Mr. Miyagi to work with Cueto.)

"That's what we're capable of doing," La Russa said. "We had a great frame of mind and competed relentlessly."

Wednesday, Adam Wainwright pushed the mute button on BP and the rest of the Reds, getting nicked for only two hits in seven shutout innings.

The Cardinals got another grand slam, this one from birthday boy Colby Rasmus. Kid dynamite marked a happy 24th by lighting up Bronson Arroyo like a candle.

It was one of the best at-bats of the Cardinals' season, with Rasmus falling behind in the count 0-2, fouling off two pitches and working the duel back to 3-2 before launching a deep broadside toward the fake tugboat the Reds keep in center field.

The shot reopened the wound the Cardinals had put on the Reds in the first two games, and gave the stone-cold Wainwright an insurmountable 4-0 lead. The rest was, well, birthday cake.

"But Colby gave us the gift," La Russa said.

Since the start of last season, Wainwright and Carpenter are a combined 36-5 against NL Central rivals, with an ERA of 2.11. I think that's pretty good.

"The Cardinals have good pitching; that's one thing they do have," Phillips said, presumably before the Reds were able to put more duct tape on his mouth.

The Cardinals had it all working in this series: the bats, the pitching, aggressive but smart base running, and good defense. It was, indeed, a team effort. Over the three games, 10 Cardinals had hits, five drove in multiple runs, and eight scored runs. Matt Holliday had seven hits, four runs and four RBIs. Rookie Jon Jay had five hits and scored two runs. And Rasmus, Schumaker and Yadier Molina all carried large brooms — I mean bats — during the sweep.

This was as sharp as the Cardinals had played all season. And the timing was perfect. What a swing series. In the worst-case scenario, the Cardinals could have lost all three games and plunged to five games out in the standings. Instead, they leave town in first place, one up on Team BP.

What does it say about them?

"It says we can rise to the occasion, but we have to keep that for the next two months," reliever Kyle McClellan said. "This isn't something you want to turn on and off. But I think guys were up for it. I think they were ready for it. Coming in here, it was kind of like a playoff atmosphere, and the games had a little different feel to them. Hopefully, that gets us on a roll. It's right there for the taking."

The Cardinals are 10-5 against the Reds this season, and four of the losses were by a single run. When on, the Cardinals are the better side. But they must maintain this form. The Cardinals have ruled the Reds, only to slip against lesser opponents. That must stop.

"It seemed like we were playing with a little more intensity than normal," Schumaker said. "And hopefully we can keep that intensity going into the next series."

Should that intensity decrease, the Cardinals can always turn to the Brandon Phillips doll.