Joey Votto among the healthiest Reds

CHICAGO — The Reds list of injured players has been a long one this year.

One name that hasn't been on it: Joey Votto.

Votto started his 60th game Sunday night and played in his 61st. (He missed a game after being suspended for bumping an umpire.) Votto played in 62 games all of last year as he dealt with knee/quadriceps injuries.

Health has not been a factor for Votto this year.

"I feel very good on a daily basis," he said. "I'm not even thinking about it. I'm just trying to play ball and be part of next long winning stretch, hopefully a 10-game winning streak."

Votto has not only been able to play on a daily basis, he's been able to put up power numbers in line with what he did before having knee surgery in 2012.

Votto went into Sunday hitting .298/.398/.556 with 14 home runs and 36 RBI. In 2013, he played in all 162 games. He hit .305/.435/.491. It was first time in his career he slugged under .500.

The biggest piece of evidence his power is back? He has as many home runs in 223 at-bats this year as he had in 374 at-bats in 2012.

But it's been up and down. Votto hit seven home runs in April and two home runs in May. He has five so far in June.

Votto talked about losing his swing after April 28 to May 29 without a home run.

"I lost my wallet two weeks ago," Votto said at the time. "I couldn't find my wallet. It's so annoying. Then one day I found it in a door of my car. That's how I feel with my swing: I finally found my wallet. It took a long time."

Votto hasn't lost his swing since. He went in Sunday hitting .317 with .423 on-base percentage since May 20.

"I'm working," he said. "Every day you have to stay on it. You'll lose and then you'll find it. You have to be really consistent in the search because it's always elusive.

"I found in my career that there's always variables that make our swing elusive."

Votto's search for the swing involves, well, swinging.

"It's mostly work, just swinging, everything it takes on a daily basis," he said.

Phillips back

Brandon Phillips was back in the lineup Sunday after missing four starts with a slightly strained groin. Phillips did pinch-hit Friday and Saturday.

Reds manager Bryan Price originally said that Phillips was unlikely to start Sunday. Price changed his mind after seeing Phillips in pregame drills Saturday and is his pinch-hit appearance.

"He's definitely a lot better," Price said. "He's chomping at the bit to be in there. But it's one of damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situations. We don't want to risk injury, but any time these guys step on the field you risk injury.

"I've said before you can't put them all in a bubble for hope they don't get hurt. He's feeling good. He had a good at-bat (Saturday). He hit the ball right on the screws. He looked good taking ground balls (Saturday). He feels like he's ready to play."

Rain was in the forecast, so Price reserved the right to pull Phillips.

"If conditions got terrible, maybe we'd have to make an adjustment," Price said.

It was Phillips' first start with Eugenio Suarez. Suarez is the 27th double-play partner Phillips has had with the Reds.

"They're going to have to get familiar. That's going to be our double-play combo, middle-of-the-diamond defenders most likely for the rest of the season," Price said.

Fair loss

The Reds lost to the Cubs 4-3 walk-off style Saturday night. Price preferred that to losing 3-1 in a rain-shortened game.

The game was delayed for two hours and 48 minutes after the fifth inning. There was a real possibility it could have been called as an official. The Reds tied it on Suarez's two-run homer immediately after play resumed.

"I was glad we played it," Price said. "I would have hated to be back in the hotel when we had that 1 1/2, two hours of dry weather. I felt like it would be irresponsible on our part not to play and give ourself a chance to win that game."

Hamilton's struggles

Billy Hamilton went into Sunday hitting .154 over the last week and .188 over the last two weeks.

"I don't think it's patience," Price said. "I don't think he's going outside the strike zone doing a lot of chasing. I think he's hitting a lot more balls in the air from the left side as opposed to hard ground balls and line drives.

"He didn't sign as a switch-hitter. He signed as a right-handed hitting shortstop. Now he's a switching-hitting center fielder. We've put a lot on his plate since the time he signed. His left-handed swing is a work-in-progress. I think he'll evolve into a nice offensive player. They'll be some hard knocks along the way."

Hamilton went into Sunday hitting .207 and slugging .255 from the left side. He was hitting .242 and slugging .405 from the right side.

Hamilton's strikeout rate is down from 19.1 percent from last year to 15.4 this year. His walk percentage is about the same (5.6 to 5.3). His line-drive, fly-ball and ground-ball rate are virtually the same.

The biggest difference is his BABIP (batting average on ball in play) is down from .304 last year to .246 this year.

But Hamilton is also dealing with a wrist issue.

"He was having trouble with the wrist from the right side," Price said. "The left side isn't bothering him at all. I did think about that. There were times earlier in the year when I didn't play him against left-handers because of it."

More signees

In addition to top pick Tyler Stephenson, the Reds signed seven other picks from the first 10 rounds.

Here's a list of signees: 2B. RHP Tanner Rainey, 3. SS Blake Trahan, 6. RHP Jame Herget, 7. RHP Jordan Ramsey, 8. SS Mitchell Piatnik, 9. RHP Sarkis Ohanian, 10. CF Zack Shields, 11. SS Brantley Bell, 14. RHP Austin Orewiler, 15. 2b Christophen Butler, 16. RHP Jacob Johnson, 21. CF Satchel McElroy, 23. CF Edward Charlton, 25. 1B James Vasquez.