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Cesar Hernandez is lifting the Phillies with his power surge | Bob Brookover

After getting stronger in the offseason, the leadoff hitter has four home runs in 18 games and nine extra-base hits, a total he did not reach until June 4 last season.

It was the decisive moment Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, and if the Phillies were going to celebrate a victory on the Phanatic's birthday, manager Pete Mackanin felt he needed to offer a bit of advice to Cesar Hernandez before he went to home plate.

Michael Saunders had just opened the bottom of the eighth inning with a pinch-hit double off reliever Arodys Vizcaino, and Mackanin wanted to make sure Hernandez was in the right (side) frame of mind as he stepped into the batter's box.

"With a man on second, work it to the right side and . . . try to move the runner," Mackanin told his second baseman. "He did move the runner."

Hernandez did a lot more than that. The Phillies' best hitter since late last June reached down and slugged a slider over the right-field scoreboard for a two-run home run that broke a 1-1 tie. Aaron Altherr and Odubel Herrera followed with home runs, and the Phillies won, 5-2 - their fourth win in a row and fifth in six games - to even their record at 9-9.

Hernandez swore afterward that he was trying to follow his manager's advice, but he got a fat pitch to hit from Vizcaino, and he did not miss it. So what did the manager tell Hernandez after the trip around the bases?

"He said, 'I said to the middle, but that's good right there, too,' " Hernandez said.

Everything is indeed good about Hernandez's game right now. It's a stark contrast to the crossroads his Phillies career was at 10 months ago, when Mackanin benched Hernandez because he was displeased with the the second baseman's swing path.

"He had an uppercut swing," Mackanin said. "He worked underneath the ball, which made him a low-ball hitter. I think the fact that we convinced him to level out his swing and stay on top of the ball . . . has not only given him more power, but also he has hit more line drives and used the whole field.

"Who would have thought Cesar would hit four home runs the whole year? He's an on-base guy and a leadoff hitter, and now I'm starting to think of him as a cleanup hitter as well."

That, of course, was a joke.

"He's not trying to hit home runs," Mackanin said. "He's trying to hit line drives, and when you work above the ball and level your swing out . . . the ball is going to go up with a line-drive swing. Because of that he's hitting more gaps and hitting for more power."

With his two hits Sunday, Hernandez raised his average to .338, his on-base percentage to .376, and his OPS to .939. His four home runs are two shy of the career-high six he hit last season. He did not hit his fourth home run last season until Aug. 20. He also has nine extra-base hits in 18 games. A year ago he did not get his ninth extra-base hit until his 53rd game, on June 4. Sixteen days later, he was benched and told he needed to change his swing.

Hernandez was inserted back into the starting lineup June 23, and in 105 games since then he has batted .329 with 28 extra-base hits and an .872 OPS.

"I'm trying to do the same thing I did last year," Hernandez said. "I see it working, so I keep doing it."

The 26-year-old Venezuelan who has always shown the ability to hit for average and post a high on-base percentage to go along with his elite speed actually did a little more this offseason by adding some muscle to his slender frame.

"He did work hard," Mackanin said. "We told him when he left last year what he needed to do to improve, and he has done everything we asked of him. He looks much stronger, and he is just playing full of confidence."

Hernandez said the intent of his added bulk was not to enhance his power numbers.

"I know I can play every day . . . and I want to be strong," Hernandez said. "I want to be able to play 162."

Eighteen games into this season, he is leading the Phillies in home runs. That's strong, and it's also a lot better than just moving the runner to third with a grounder to the right side.

bbrookover@phillynews.com

@brookob