Here's how Votto found his swing after a slow start

CINCINNATI -- Joey Votto emerging from a deep slump at the plate and going on a long tear has been a very rewatchable show for the Reds.

Votto was batting .122 with one double in his first 22 games of the season. The bad stretch was interrupted when the Reds’ first baseman missed 15 games because of Covid-19. After re-emerging on May 20, he is batting .295 with a 1.116 OPS and five home runs over his last 18 games.

Although heating up, Votto was a tad unlucky during a 1-for-4 performance in Wednesday's 7-0 Reds loss to the D-backs. In the first inning, center fielder Alek Thomas robbed him of a two-run homer by making a spectacular leaping catch above the fence.

"Home run hitters get homers taken away from them. If you want to be a home run hitter, you’re going to get some homers taken away from you," said Votto, who is now batting .200 overall.

Thomas also took away a potential extra-base hit in the fourth inning with a diving catch. Finally in the seventh inning, Votto led off and hit a first pitch for a double to the wall in right-center field far from Thomas' grasp. The exit velocity was 108.3 mph. Otherwise, it was a flat night for Cincinnati's lineup.

Nine of Votto’s last 11 hits have gone for extra bases, including his three-run home run to center field during Tuesday’s 14-8 win over the D-backs. Is that the barometer that says his swing is right again?

“It's close. But it's not quite there yet,” Votto replied before Wednesday’s game. “The extra-base hits are a by-product of hitting the ball harder. One of the factors, one of the things I think often about is, I want to create a style of play that works in any stadium. We play in a smaller ballpark here. Sometimes you get something when you really didn't earn it.

“Because in Kansas City, that ball I hit to center isn't a home run. If I'm playing in San Francisco, that ball is caught in the grass or at the track. I'm trying to create a swing that I can repeat and homer anywhere. I can drive the ball through any gap, anywhere, to be impossible to defend, impossible to pitch to. I've had long stretches of that in my career. I don't think I'm very far off from that again.”

When Votto was searching during his hitting funk, manager David Bell noted that the 38-year-old -- one of the best hitters of his generation -- was open-minded about hearing feedback, which has allowed him to get better.

“I remember we had a conversation early in the year,” Bell said. “I said something to him and I think he knew I was right, but it couldn’t really help him at that point. He knew that, but he had to go through his process of getting the feeling of it. If you’re going to have something to say, you’ve got to be prepared and know what you’re talking about or he’s not going to waste his time, either. I think that’s really important.”

“I don't think I'm very good at feedback,” Votto countered. “I just think I'm wrong and they're right. The feedback I received from the people that gave me feedback were correct and I was incorrect. It's more a by-product of being humble, just being wrong. So, I appreciate the compliment, but [Bell] provides the feedback, there were a couple of other people who provided feedback. I was just wrong. I'm pretty stubborn, I don't like being told what to do. That doesn't mean I'm not capable of listening and being coached, but I prefer not being told what to do.”

One key for Votto was his decision to ditch a bat style he experimented with during Spring Training and in April. It had a “hockey puck” style knob rather than the usual smaller one. But he admitted to feeling “funky” the entire time he used it.

“I was dead set on using it. And, you know, you've got to fail,” Votto said. “It was an attempt and I failed. I'm back to the [ash] bat I normally use.”

Votto has frequently had slow starts to the season, but none quite like 2022. Last season, he was batting .226 in his first 29 games before suffering a fractured left thumb. After his return a month later, he went on to hit 36 homers with 99 RBIs and a .938 OPS. In July of 2021, he set a club record by hitting a homer in seven consecutive games -- one off the all-time record.

As far as he was concerned, Votto didn’t need the time off to find his swing again this year.

“I was trying to shift focus, and maybe the pause helped. Maybe,” Votto said. “But I’ve got too many experiences in the past where you problem-solve in real time. I don’t need a pause to fix the problem. I’ve played numerous, 159-plus game seasons and had success and played through really cold stretches.

“I’m confident I can have as hot of a stretch as I’ve ever had in my career. That’s the plan.”

If that proves to be the case, you won't want to miss that show.