Votto (right hamstring) out again, 'not concerned'

CINCINNATI -- Reds first baseman Joey Votto was out of the lineup against the Pirates on Tuesday for the second straight game, a day after feeling a tight right hamstring during Game 1 of a doubleheader.

“We're being extra cautious with him,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Hopefully, it's just another day."

In the ninth inning of the 8-5 Game 1 loss, Votto tagged up from third base and scored on pinch-hitter Curt Casali’s sacrifice fly. Bell had planned on using Votto in Game 2 but instead went with Derek Dietrich at first base. Dietrich started there again on Tuesday.

"Yesterday was one of the hotter days. We weren't sure if it was a cramp,” Bell said. “He made it through the game. He started feeling it on the sac fly. He said he could play today. He woke up and it was a little bit tight."

Votto said he was “not concerned” that the injury could be more serious than tightness. During batting practice on Tuesday, he was running on the outfield grass.

“I’ve never had anything like yesterday before,” Votto said.

Votto was 3-for-5 in Game 1 to extend his hitting streak to a season-high-tying six games, and he has had two or more hits in his past four games. That has raised his average from .208 to .242, and he has four home runs and 10 RBIs.

A six-time All-Star, Votto didn’t worry about the injury derailing him just as he was heating up.

“After a not-so-good start, I’ve gotten going offensively from the hits side of things,” Votto said. “It’s a long season, and I was confident that this was going to come. I think I’m going to perform even better. The key is us collectively going well, and I was happy to sit out and watch an 8-1 victory yesterday. That was great.”

Peralta sent to Louisville
To make room on the 25-man roster for starting pitcher Lucas Sims on Tuesday, the Reds optioned left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta to Triple-A Louisville. The move left Cincinnati with Amir Garrett as its only lefty in the bullpen.

In 24 games this season, Peralta has a 4.87 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP over 20 1/3 innings. He tied a season high with four earned runs allowed last Wednesday at Milwaukee but gave up no runs and one hit over his past three appearances, including 1 2/3 perfect innings in Game 1 on Monday.

Reed suffered knee injury
The Reds announced that lefty reliever Cody Reed -- the 26th man in Monday’s doubleheader -- suffered a Grade 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee while pitching in Game 2. Reed winced while throwing in the seventh inning and was checked out by Bell and trainer Tomas Vera, but he stayed in and pitched two scoreless innings.

“He felt it on a pitch when he was pushing off on his back leg,” Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams said. “He pitched through it. Credit to Cody, because we needed him. We had two games. He hung in there and pitched through some pain.”

Reed’s knee was placed in a brace, and he is not expected to throw for 10-14 days. Under the rules for the 26th man, he was placed on Triple-A Louisville’s seven-day injured list.