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Reds in hunt despite ho-hum record

Team is sitting at .500 but just 3 games out of first in NL Central.

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By Hal McCoy, Staff Writer Updated 8:44 AM Tuesday, June 30, 2009

CINCINNATI — Dusty Baker doesn’t wear a hat that comes to a point at the top. He doesn’t carry a crystal ball in his briefcase. But the Cincinnati Reds manager obviously can see a bit into the future.

It was back in mid-April, the dawn of a new season, when he leaned back in his office swivel chair and said, “In this division, if you can hang around .500 for a long period of time until you make your run, you can win this division.”

Well, here we are, less than a day away from July, and the Reds are exactly at .500 —  37-37 just seven games from the season’s halfway point. And where are they? Just 3 games out of first place in the National League Central.

Yes, the Reds are in third place, but first is just a whiff and a sniff away as they begin a three-game series tonight, June 30, in Great American Ball Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks, firmly entrenched in the NL West cellar.

Joey Votto is back and playing as if he were never gone, hitting .320 with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs in six games since his return. The Reds were 8-13 in his absence.

“Votto sets our lineup up the way it should be,” Baker said. “Joey is always a threat. He makes ’em throw pitches. He is going to drive in runs, you know that, and he sets it up, even if it’s just with walks.”

That happened Sunday against Cleveland when he came to bat in the third inning with the Reds down 1-0. There were runners on second and third with one out.

The Tribe huddled on the mound and pitcher David Huff was told, “Pitch this guy carefully, nothing good to hit.” With the count 2-and-2, Huff threw nothing Votto could hit and he took a walk.

Brandon Phillips singled for two runs for a 2-1 lead and the Reds rolled to an 8-1 victory.

Another missing piece is third baseman Edwin Encarnacion, out on rehab at Class AAA Louisville after missing two months with a cracked left wrist. He is hitting nearly .300 in his eight games for the Bats.

“Hopefully we’ll have Edwin back in the next week to 10 days,” Baker said. “Slowly but surely we’re getting things back together, hanging in there until we can make our run.”

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Reds bring Encarnacion back for the three-game weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals.