By Ryan Bramwell
Yeah, we are still winning games without our star player in the lineup. We've seen 10-straight wins, 5-straight losses, and now we are at 4-straight wins and counting. We've been full of streaks, but mainly of the hot variety. An optimist like myself will tell you that the injury has made the Reds a better team overall.
Nick Hall, fellow blog author, wrote this back on June 29, in response to the first injury update article:
--"I should clarify, I think Joey going down was the best thing that could have happened to this ball club, because we had a lot of guys on this team seemingly riding his coat tails. Now, as they have done the last two weeks, they have found character and the little extra it takes to make a championship caliber team."--
Party on, Nick. I couldn't agree more.
The Votto injury allowed for:
- The emergence of Ryan Ludwick and his big 'ol home run stick.
- Drew Stubbs to raise his average above the Mendoza Line and play hero in Houston.
- Scott Rolen to notch those big, late hits that won a pair of ballgames and helped regain his confidence.
- Playing time for Todd Frazier which allowed him to continue his ROY campaign as well as showcase major defensive skills at 1B.
Okay, so some of those are debatable and can't really be proven. But what's not debatable is the intangible "team" effect that has been formed. The Reds are better as a whole. And nearly every player has seen an improvement on the offensive side of the ball.
Ok, On to Joey's injury:
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds expect a Votto return could happen during the four-game series against the Phillies in Philadelphia (August 20-23). However, a "more realistic date" for return would be during the series against the Cardinals (August 24-26).
Liars! Why is it taking so long?
--"Votto had arthroscopic knee surgery July 17 for a torn medial meniscus in his left knee. Votto last Wednesday was about ready to be activated and was practicing slides as a final test, but he re-injured the knee while sliding. Votto underwent a minor procedure last Friday to remove a piece of floating cartilage.
Votto originally was projected to miss three-to-four weeks. The Reds estimated that the second knee procedure would add an additional seven-to-10 days to Votto’s recovery."--
Information gathered at Cincinnati.com
*So yeah, somebody should be fired for all this poor surgery/rehab management on the world's greatest hitter. I really can not wait until he is back in the lineup and 100% healthy. The Reds have the second best record in baseball right now. Can you imagine what happens when Votto comes back to a lineup where the regulars have finally found their stride?
*Also, we all love the nickname 'Vottomatic." Just today I was thinking of another moniker for him. Seeing as he was on pace to break the single-season doubles record and will most likely threaten that record every season for years to come, I was thinking of calling him "Dr. Double." Like it?
