Cincinnati Reds Blow Out Phillies as Joey Votto Homers Thrice

W: Anthony DeSclafani (5-4)

L: Aaron Harang (4-7)

Methinks Joey Votto likes batting second in the lineup. The Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman clubbed three home runs tonight for the third time in his career to guide his team to a 11-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

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On the season, Votto is hitting .342/.472/.746 with 12 home runs and 29 RBIs in the two-hole, but just .250/.317/.337 with a home run and six RBIs when batting third. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why that is, but I’d guess it has something to do with Brandon Phillips‘ hot hitting in front of him. With Phillips on base frequently, pitchers are forced to throw to Votto more often.

Votto’s three home runs weren’t the only longballs the Reds hit on the night, as the offense wasted no time in getting to ex-Red Aaron Harang. Jay Bruce contributed a run-scoring double to score the Reds’ first run in the first inning and Zack Cozart broke things open with a three-run home run, his ninth of the season.

Votto’s first home run came in the third and was immediately followed by another solo shot by Todd Frazier, his 17th on the season. Votto then hit a solo shot in the fifth inning and a two-run shot in the seventh.

Given plenty of run support, Anthony DeSclafani was able to throw relatively stress-free baseball. In 6.1 innings, DeSclafani pitched around ten hits to hold the Phillies to two runs. “Disco” also struck out seven hitters—including striking out the side in the fourth—and walked one. He did surrender a run after loading the bases in the seventh, but Manny Parra was able to get the Reds out of the jam.

Ryan Mattheus and recent call-up Nate Adcock also contributed to the win by throwing a scoreless inning each.

Other Notes:

• Phillips left the game in the third with a strained left groin. If he’s out for an extended period of time, it would be huge blow to the Reds’ offense, which has really found its stride of late.
• If you were listening to the TV broadcast, you probably heard this a million and two times, but it bears repeating: aside from Votto, the only other Reds player to hit three home runs in a game three different times was Johnny Bench.
• Brennan Boesch was the only player in the lineup aside from DeSclafani who didn’t reach base at least once. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
• Bruce was ejected from the game in the fourth inning after being punched out on a pitch that was nowhere near the strike zone:

Up Next: The Reds and Phillies will meet for an afternoon affair on Wednesday to conclude their series. Jon Moscot is scheduled to make his second career start and will face Jerome Williams. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET.

Next: A rundown of every player the Reds have drafted so far