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Reds' slugger back, but team still loses

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Adam Rosales (23) and first baseman Joey Votto battle for an infield pop fly by Toronto Blue Jays' Marco Scutaro during the second inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, June 23, 2009.

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn Cincinnati Reds third baseman Adam Rosales (23) and first baseman Joey Votto battle for an infield pop fly by Toronto Blue Jays' Marco Scutaro during the second inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, June 23, 2009.

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By Hal McCoy, Staff Writer Updated 6:55 AM Wednesday, June 24, 2009

TORONTO — As anybody who follows baseball even cursorily can tell you, “One man does not make a difference.”

Even if it’s Joey Votto.

On the night he returned to the Cincinnati Reds lineup, Votto had a hit, but he also struck out twice, grounded to short and hesitated on a ground ball base hit he should have stopped.

One could almost see the rust falling from Votto’s shoulders while the Reds were losing to the Toronto Blue Jays 7-5 Tuesday, June 23, in Rogers Centre.

“Joey swung the bat pretty good considering he hadn’t played in a while,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “He is going to get better every day.”

When asked about the rust on Votto, Baker said, “Yeah, but he’s still better than most. And that rust won’t be there too long. He gives us more power, he is a run producer, an outstanding first baseman and he hits right-handers and left-handers. And he is going to hit. He is going to hit a ton.”

The rest of the Reds hit but about a pound-and-a-half.

It is difficult to win when the rest of the team scrapes only two other hits off left-hander Brian Tallet, owner of a 4.86 ERA when the night began and nobody’s candidate for Cy Young.

And he was pitching on only three days of rest.

It is difficult to win when starting pitcher Micah Owings gives up six runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, including three home runs. Owings, who as a pitcher is a pretty good hitter, has won only once in his last eight starts and has not reached the seventh inning since May 12.

Owings gave up a 0-and-2 home run to Scott Rolen to open the second and it was a stone rolling downhill shedding moss from there. Rod Barajas homered in the fourth, and Marco Scutaro ripped a two-run shot in the sixth that ended Owings’ night.

The home run to Rolen and Barajas, as Baker noted, “Were pitches right over the heart of the plate.”

Said Owings, “I tried to elevate the pitch to Rolen and left it over the plate. All three home-run pitches were location problems. Sometimes you get away with those and sometimes you don’t. I didn’t get away with those three and they hurt.”

And he was pitching on the normal four days of rest.

Meanwhile, the Reds had no runs and three hits against Tallet over his six innings, striking out seven times.

Chris Dickerson singled in the third, then Jerry Hairston Jr. and Votto singled in the fourth and that’s all the Reds did against Tallet before scoring five runs off the Blue Jays bullpen the final three innings, but never really threatening.

The Reds lost for the third straight time and the eighth time in 10 games.

Votto admitted he was shaky early in the game, then settled in.

“The first few innings were a little tough, but from the fourth or fifth innings on I could be myself,” he said. “I could concentrate on what I could do to help the team. I hope today was one of the last days getting over the mental block. We’ll see.

“My swing felt good, but I missed some pitches,” he said. “I won’t say I’m rusty, but it’s a little different in front of a big-league pitcher instead of batting practice and A-ballers.”