Votto doubles to beat Cubs' rare 4-outfielder alignment
Just hit 'em where they ain't, Joey.
When Cincinnati Reds superstar Joey Votto walked to the plate in the top of the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, the odds were stacked against him.
He was facing lefty starter Jose Quintana, who has limited left-handed batters to a .229/.266/.336 slash line in 2017. Past that, the Cubs had initiated an unorthodox defensive alignment to reduce the likelihood of an extra-base hit:
How the Cubs played Joey Votto in his last AB... he doubled pic.twitter.com/is0Zet1L9u
— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) August 15, 2017
That's right, four outfielders and three infielders. But, guess what? Votto not only got a base hit, he ripped the ball down the first-base line for a double.
Joey Votto is so good that he managed to hit a double against a 4-man outfield alignment pic.twitter.com/DgludSnMlL
— Jesse Foster (@Jesse__Foster) August 15, 2017
If right fielder Jason Heyward had set up closer to the line, he might have held Votto to a single. But Votto isn't a traditional pull hitter who can be counted on to hit to the right side without fail. The Cubs made what could have been a savvy defensive choice, and it just didn't work out because he's Joey freaking Votto.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon gave the Reds' first baseman all the credit for pulling through, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.
"Votto right now is ungodly," Maddon said. "Whatever you do you're taking chances anyhow. It's almost like Tony Gwynn when he was good."
With the double, Votto extended his streak of reaching base to 19 games. Heading into Monday, Votto's cruised to a .314/.446/.600 batting line with 31 home runs and 83 RBIs through 118 games. That should get him in the conversation for National League MVP.