Western-Star.com

ATLANTA — Joey Votto pinch-hit in the first game of the Atlanta series and crushed a ball down the first base line. Braves first baseman Mark Teixeira made an incredible belly-flop of a stop to retire Votto.

Next night. Game 2. Teixeira batting. He rips one down the first base line and Votto makes a web gem to rob Teixeira.

"You got me, now I got you," Votto told Teixeira. "We're square. No more messing around."

That Votto made that play is extraordinary. When he was first moved from catcher to first base, he didn't know one thing he was supposed to do there and said, "It took me two to three years before I was comfortable."

Now he isn't just comfortable, the play he made on Teixeira is more a rule than an exception.

"Votto works on everything because he wants to be a good player," said manager Dusty Baker. "You have to want to be a player to be a good player and that means putting in the time and the effort in all departments, especially in a world that thinks about nothing but offensive numbers.

"If you want to be a ballplayer — and to me that's a big word, ballplayer — not just a hitter, not just a slugger, not just a guy with a Gold Glove. Votto works on all phases and has a chance to be a ballplayer."

Votto neither knew nor heard what Baker said, but talked the same way.

"For several years I've wanted to excel in that part of the game (defense)," he said. "That's a big thing for my teammates. I've always found that some guys can hit and some can't, but if you do all the little things that your teammates respect, then you are a guy the starting pitcher can trust and that's a big thing for me.

'I want to be a player the rest of the team trusts and respects and that if the ball is hit to me good things are going to happen," he said.

The lefty factor

One reason Baker has such difficulty making out a lineup card and batting order against lefthanded pitchers: Before Sunday's game, Corey Patterson was hitting .091 against lefthanders, Adam Dunn was hitting .136, Ken Griffey Jr. was hitting .154, Paul Bako was hitting .207.

The only lefthanded hitter who looks as if he has ever faced a lefthanded pitcher was rookie Votto, hitting .375 against southpaws.

The road blues

The Reds are home for only three games, beginning tonight against the Chicago Cubs, then take a three-day trip over the weekend to New York to play the Mets, their last-ever visit to old Shea Stadium.

"We're only home for three?" said Baker. "Seems like we've been on the road a lot."

Actually, it has only been 14 at home and 18 on the road and the Reds are 6-8 at home and 6-12 on the road.

"The road has hurt us, but you have to learn how to win on the road," Baker said, realizing that the Reds have had losing records on 18 of their last 19 trips.

Quote of the day

Atlanta broadcaster Skip Caray during the Braves' six-run inning Saturday: "The bases are loaded and Reds manager Dusty Baker probably wishes he was, too."

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