Joey Votto belted his first home run of the Cactus League season, helping to power the Reds to a 7-6 win over the Athletics on Sunday. Votto finished the day 1-for-3 and also drew a walk. He's hitting just .226/.314/.419 on the spring season, but it's certainly not a cause for concern. He's a professional hitter and will once again finish as one of the top first baseman in the National League.

Joey Votto went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts against the Rockies on Wednesday, dropping his spring average to .200. Uncharacteristically, Votto has struck out 11 times in 25 spring at-bats. Even more shocking is that he has only drawn three walks. Votto has led the National League in on-base percentage four years running, so a small sample of spring at-bats shouldn't negate his prior body of work. He will still be among the game's 10 most productive hitters at the end of the season.

Joey Votto went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles in a losing effort against the Cubs on Saturday. As he typically does, Votto also drew a walk in the game. He was most of the Reds offense in this one, as his pair of doubles were the only extra-base hits they would muster out of their six total knocks, as Jason Hammel and four other pitchers combined to shut them out.

Reds manager Bryan Price said Wednesday that Joey Votto will likely bat third this season. There has been some chatter about Votto possibly batting second, but Price said he hasn't given it much consideration. Billy Hamilton is currently slated to bat leadoff while Brandon Phillips will hit second. Meanwhile, Jay Bruce is likely to hit cleanup against right-handers while Ryan Ludwick could get the nod against southpaws.

The Reds hired Lee Tinsley as assistant hitting coach. "He'll help hitting and he'll help (Billy) Hatcher with outfield and baserunning," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. The 44-year-old Tinsley played five years with the Red Sox, Mariners and Phillies. "He was the No. 1 pick of Oakland when I was there and Bryan worked with him in Arizona," Jocketty said. "He's a great guy." Tinsley spent the last three years as the Cubs' minor league outfield and baserunning coach.

Joey Votto went 0-for-2 before being pulled for Neftali Soto in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Pirates. The start allowed Votto to become the 8th player in Reds history to play in 162 games. The veteran first-baseman finishes the 2013 regular season with a .305/.435/.491 slash line with 24 homers and 73 RBI in 581 at-bats. In Tuesday's Wild Card Game, Johnny Cueto will square off against Francisco Liriano in Pittsburgh.

Joey Votto had a pair of singles in Friday's loss to the Pirates. Votto has now reached base 312 times this season, passing Pete Rose (1969) for the franchise record. It goes without saying, but that's a pretty special accomplishment. The 30-year-old is set to lead the National League in on-base percentage for the fourth straight year.

Joey Votto walked all five times he was up, including once with the bases loaded, Monday against the Mets. Only one of the walks was intentional, but the Mets made it obvious they didn't want much to do with Votto with Ryan Ludwick hitting behind him. Ludwick, who hit with a total of 10 men on base, went 0-for-5 in the contest. The five-walk game was the first of Votto's career. The Mets' Mike Baxter was the previous player to walk five times in five plate appearances, doing so last August against the Padres.

Joey Votto belted a solo homer in the 10th inning on Friday, powering the Reds to a dramatic, come-from-behind 6-5 victory over the Pirates. The Reds entered the ninth inning trailing by three runs, but rallied to tie the score on a couple of hits and a defensive miscue by the Pirates. Votto then launched an opposite field solo shot off Kyle Farnsworth in the 10th to put the Reds on top to stay. He's having another fantastic season offensively, hitting .306/.433/.498 with 24 homers, 71 RBI and six stolen bases.

Joey Votto went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and a walk in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Brewers. Votto delivered a sacrifice fly in the first inning and later launched a two-run homer in the sixth inning which traveled at an estimated distance of 470 feet. The 30-year-old had three RBI combined over his first 12 games this month. He's now up to 23 home runs and 69 RBI on the year.