Votto Returns

With Votto back in the heart of the order, the Reds should keep on rolling

Joey Votto, who hadn't played since July 15th after shredding his meniscus, returned to action in yesterday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies.  While Cincinatti went on to lose, 6-2, their All-Star first baseman didn't look rusty at all.  In his first at-bat he slapped an opposite field single off two-time Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay.  Votto finished the game 2-for-3 with a walk, bumping his season batting line to a Ted Williams-esque .346/.468/.605.

Despite losing the 2010 NL MVP and best hitter in baseball for nearly two months, the red-hot Reds still managed to go 33-16 in his absence as they ran away with the NL Central.  Apparently, they didn't miss him too much.  The lineup, led by Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, Ryan Ludwick, and Todd Frazier, continued to churn out runs, averaging nearly five per game in August while posting a collective .777 OPS--their best of any month this season.  The starting rotation of Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Bronson Arroyo, Mike Leake, and Homer Bailey has remained durable and effective.  Altogether, they've started every game this season except for one, a Todd Redmond spot-start at the back end of an August 18th doubleheader.  And the bullpen, perhaps the best in baseball mainly because of Aroldis Chapman's dominance, has been untouchable


So with a healthy Votto back in the heart of their order, the rich have gotten richer.  Dusty Baker's team just might be the best in the Senior Circuit.  The Nats are right there too, just as balanced and, more importantly, blessed with superior starting pitching.  Stephen Strasburg's impending shutdown diminishes that advantage somewhat, but Washington still has plenty of depth with Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson, and Ross Detwiler.  Once the playoffs roll around and rotations are shortened, that quartet should be enough to get them through the postseason. Regardless of which team is better, these two squads appear to be on a playoffs collision course. I believe Washington will prevail because they're winning the arms race and have the lineup and bullpen to match Cincinatti.

But as we've seen time and time again in postseasons past, anything can happen.