Cody Reed bashed again, Reds lose to Brewers 7-3

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Joey Votto is one of the best baseball players on the planet.

That's not new or groundbreaking stuff to read or write, but it sure feels and sounds so damn good to read/write/say aloud that it was worth typing again in this space, for what has to be the eleventieth billion time (and, hopefully, another eleventy billion more).

Votto smacked two more hits in this one, including his 19th round-tripper of the year, which was enough to bat in all of the Reds runs. His batting average is up to .303 now, and his OPS up to .943. He leads the Majors in walks, leads the National League in OBP, leads the Reds in "best fitting uniform" and, most importantly, leads in the hearts of many, many Reds fans far and wide.

Keep on keepin' on, Joesph.

Honorable mention to Billy Hamilton, who racked up 3 more hits to this torrid pace he's been on. He's got a .400+ OBP in his last 50 plate appearances, which is just nutty. Keyvius Sampson was pushed into emergency relief for 5 innings and allowed only a run, which was certainly no easy task.

Key Plays

• We've reached the "Ryan Braun" portion of our recap. Buckle up. (Especially you, Cody Reed).
• After Keon Broxton and Orlando Arcia reached in the bottom of the first, Ryan Braun whacked a line drive double to left field, scoring them both. Reed then loaded up the bases before hitting Jake Elmore with a pitch, scoring Braun. Brewers jump out to a 3-0 lead in the 1st.
• Ryan Braun struck again in the second, smashing a three run dinger to double up the Brewers lead, scoring Arcia and Broxton. That'd eventually spell the end for Reed, as he'd leave without recording an out in the 2nd inning. Brewers lead, 6-0.
• Ryan Braun (really!) homered again in the bottom of the 4th. Arcia and Broxton were not on base, presumably because Cody Reed wasn't pitching anymore. Brewers lead, 7-0.
• We've now entered the "Joey Votto" portion of this recap.
• In the top of the 6th inning, Joey Votto, our lord and savior, doubled on a soft fly to left. Billy Hamilton scored. Since Joey couldn't manage to bat again in the 6th, that's all the Reds would get back, 7-1.
• In the top of the 8th, Joey Votto (really!) deposited his 19th dinger of the year into the seats, scoring himself and Zack Cozart. Since Joey couldn't manage to bat again in the8th, that's all the Reds would get back. For the whole game. Reds lose, 7-3.

This isn't ideal

Source: FanGraphs

Other Notes

• Brandon Phillips left the game prematurely with a knee contusion in the 2nd inning. He just recently returned to the lineup after dealing with a quad injury. Of course, he'll stay on the roster for at least a week without playing, so look for an update/DL stint this time next week.
• Joey Votto's batting average on June 1st was .215.
• Billy Hamilton's OBP at the All Star break was .283.
• Scott Schebler, since his heroic walk off against St. Louis: 2-33, 1 2B, 12 K, 4 BB. That's, uh, not ideal?
• The Reds open a four game home set against the Marlins tomorrow night at 7:10pm. They won't have to deal with Giancarlo Stanton, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a groin injury.
• Tunes.