Baker bumps Frazier out of RBI spot to two-hole

CINCINNATI -- Todd Frazier entered Wednesday without a hit in his last nine games (0-for-28), a stretch that included eight starts. After getting the day off Tuesday, Frazier returned to the lineup Wednesday against the A's, batting in the two-hole for the first time in his career, as manager Dusty Baker tries to jump-start his slumping third baseman.

"It can't hurt him," Baker said.

When Baker puts together a lineup, he takes into account a player's personality, his propensity to hit into double plays, whether he's right- or left-handed, and various other factors. As for Wednesday's order, Baker said it had a lot to do with the importance of the sixth spot behind Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, where Frazier has been most of the season.

"[The] fifth and sixth spots, those are RBI slots," Baker said. "Three and four get on, then five and six have a lot of opportunities, which we do here. I figured we'd try to get him going."