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 "I'm one bad (dude)," said Votto, following Friday night's game.
And, who could blame him?
Votto hit a pair of opposite-field, two-run home runs, and Jason
Marquis had a solid six-inning effort in his Cincinnati debut,
lifting the Reds to a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in
the opener of a three-game weekend series at Great American Ball
Park.
"I didn't have a great spring, but I felt good physically," said
Votto, who missed 99 games last season with a quad strain. "It's
early in the season. Things tend to level out. I'm just trying to go
out there and compete."
Right-hander J.J. Hoover (2-0) earned the victory for Cincinnati,
which improved to 4-0.
Flame-thrower Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless ninth inning with
two strikeouts for his second save.
Chapman's save was made possible by second baseman Brandon Phillips'
sensational diving stop and flip for a force play on right fielder
Jason Heyward's grounder up the middle for the second out.
"That was a play that had to be made," said Reds manager Bryan
Price.
Center fielder Randal Grichuk, making his first start of the season
for St. Louis, hit a two-run home run.
"We're playing good baseball," said Heyward, who drove in the tying
run in the seventh for St. Louis. "That's what you want day-in and
day-out. You want to battle teams, play close games."
Reds right-hander Jason Marquis overcame early wildness to last six
innings, allowing three runs on five hits with two walks and seven
strikeouts.
John Lackey started for St. Louis (1-2) and the right hander gave up
four earned runs on just four hits in six innings.
But, Lackey's walk to leadoff batter Billy Hamilton and a single by
Marquis proved costly as both preceded Votto's two-run homers.
The Cardinals scratched out three singles against the Reds bullpen
in the seventh, including an RBI hit by Heyward that tied the score
4-4.
Opportunistic baserunning by Hamilton led to the go-ahead run for
Cincinnati in the eighth.
Hamilton was walked by right-hander Jordan Walden (0-1), stole
second to improve to 7-for-7 on the season, then advanced to third
on Walden's wild pitch.
Third baseman Todd Frazier lifted a relatively shallow fly ball to
right field. Hamilton tagged and slid home just ahead of Heyward's
throw, putting the Reds ahead 5-4.
"His effect on our offense when he's on base is significant," said
Price, of Hamilton.
Marquis, making his Reds debut after signing a minor league deal in
January, labored in the first inning.
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He walked two and had one wild pitch but nearly escaped trouble
before shortstop Jhonny Peralta's perfectly placed grounder snuck
down the third-base line for a double, driving home Matt Carpenter
with the Cardinals' first run.
"I was jumping out a little bit early on, just getting the ball to
home plate a little quick," Marquis said. "I made an adjustment in
the middle of third. I started throwing like I did in spring
training."
Votto's two-run homer, his second home run of the season, coming on
a 1-1 pitch from Lackey, put the Reds ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the
first.
Marquis' struggles continued in the second when he gave up second
baseman Kolten Wong's single followed by Grichuk's two-run homer, a
430-foot blast to left, putting St. Louis ahead 3-2.
"Giving up the homer to the No. 8 hitter, didn't feel like I was
doing my job there," Marquis said.
But Cincinnati regained the lead on Votto's second home run in as
many at-bats, another opposite-field homer on a 2-0 pitch from
Lackey.
"The one was off a pretty good pitch," Cardinals manager Mike
Matheny said. "He just went out and drove it. We've seen him hit
some pretty good pitches in the past, and he did today."
In the first four games this season, Votto is 7-for-17 with three
homers and eight RBIs.
Marquis settled down, retiring 12 straight after Grichuk's homer,
including five strikeouts to keep Cincinnati close.
"He settled in and gathered himself," said Price. "He made good
pitches with his fastball and a few nice changeups."
NOTES: It was 1B Joey Votto's 10th career multi-homer game, first
since May 13, 2012 vs. Washington. ... CF Billy Hamilton is the
first Reds player with stolen bases in his first four games of the
season since Barry Larkin in 1988. ... Reds RHP Homer Bailey will
start Sunday for Triple-A Louisville vs. Toledo. On Sept. 5, Bailey
had surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right forearm. He
expects to return in late April. ... Cincinnati began the season 4-0
for the first time since 2011, when the club started 5-0. ...
Cardinals C Tony Cruz was placed on the three-day bereavement list
on Friday for the birth of his daughter. Ed Easley was recalled from
Triple-A Memphis to replace Cruz.
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