CINCINNATI – It could be the haircut, the spot in the lineup, the simplified approach or the law of averages. It could be every one of those things.\n\n
“It's a really simple game, right?” Hoskins said. “We don't have to make it harder than it is on ourselves, on the mound, in the box, in the field. Just a simplification of the last 10 days or so. Obviously, it's good to get results right away from that. Makes it easier to trust, of course. But just sticking with that simplification of, I guess everything, really.”\n\nBut what does that mean, exactly?\n\n“I guess just kind of taking your foot off the gas a little bit, almost trying to put the least amount of effort in that I can,” Hoskins said. “Obviously that's not going to happen in the game, right? Adrenaline goes, talent will take over, adrenaline takes over, and you often find that sweet spot. At least for me, I'm not a guy that can get riled up and swing as hard as I can. It just hasn't worked for me ever.”
Hoskins is batting .471 (8-for-17) with two doubles, one triple, two home runs, five RBIs and a 1.609 OPS in his past five games. He credited a fresh haircut for his two-hit effort Wednesday against Pittsburgh, which started his run, although it coincided with his return to the cleanup spot, where he has had the most success in his career. Hoskins hit .115 (10-for-87) with three doubles, two homers, five RBIs and a .522 OPS in his previous 25 games.\n\nHoskins said he has sought the counsel of several people over the past couple weeks, including new hitting coach Charlie Manuel, assistant hitting coach Pedro Guerrero, third-base coach Dusty Wathan and manager Gabe Kapler.\n\n“Just kind of all of that combined,” Hoskins said, asked if he had received any magical words of advice.\n\nHoskins is a hitter that craves information. He watches video. He likes to know the tendencies of every pitcher he faces.
“Obviously, we're still getting the information from other places in the organization,” Hoskins said about Manuel’s influence. “I still watch video. I still do the scouting reports that I've always done. Besides that, it's been great. It's been calming. I think there's an aura of confidence that he just carries because of: a) who he is; and b) the guy just loves hitting. I think that kind of resounds throughout this clubhouse.”\n\nThe Phillies are slashing .270/.344/486 and averaging 5.9 runs per game in their past 18 games since they named Manuel hitting coach. They slashed .245/.322/.417 and average 4.7 runs per game in their first 118.\n\nThe Phillies need that to continue. They got a solid effort Monday from left-hander
Kingery is quietly having an impressive season. He became the seventh player in baseball history to have 50 extra-base hits in a season and play second base, third base, shortstop and each outfield position. He is the youngest of a group that includes [Al Smith](https://www.mlb.com/player/al-smith-122350) (1955), [Felix Mantilla](https://www.mlb.com/player/felix-mantilla-118257) (‘64),