Reds Move Joey Votto To Cleanup, Pena To Two Spot.

Joey Votto has been moved to cleanup with catcher Brayan Price.

“We’re missing a couple of big run-producing pieces, guys that have been providing us with RBIs and things of that nature," manager Bryan Price said.. "Brayan gives you a good at bat, especially from the left side. He’s hit a lot from the left side this year in particular. It would be nice to get some guys on base, put Joey back there behind Brandon and give Joey an opportunity to drive in some runs. It’s not like me to be stagnant. There’s some things I think we can do to kick the offense back into gear. I’m just trying to make things happen and create some opportunities to score more runs.”

Votto hit second in the batting order for 22 games.  The Reds were 12-10 in those games.

The firstbaseman hit .263 with three home runs and eight RBI from the second spot in the batting.

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"I think certain things happened when we put him in the two hole," Price said. "We haven’t put him in a lot of situations to drive in runs. That position is a challenge in and of itself. Billy’s been out of the lineup, and that has affected our ability to have more guys in scoring position. I don’t know. I really don’t. I feel optimistic and good every time Joey’s at the plate. He still gives us a great at bats. He still finds a way to see a lot of pitches and fight off a lot of tough pitches. You certainly expect him to go out there and do what he’s capable of doing moving forward.”

Both Brayan Pena and Votto are fine with the move.

"This is all to help the team,"Pena said. "We are 100 percent behind the decisions of our skipper. I was in here at 12;30 doing some cardio.  The MLB Network was on and someone twittered the lineup.  (Neftali) Soto was working out with me.  I asked him if it was true. He looked it up and found out it was."

"It makes no difference where I bat in the lineup."

"At the end of the year, you'll look up and I will be about the same," Votto said. "Baseball-Reference has been very good to me during my career.  My goal is to stay on the field, stay healthy and be a part of some wins. I have done relatively well.  The frustrating part is that my struggles coincide with a number of close losses."