The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
Joey Votto came into Monday's outing with an OPS over .900 in his previous 9 games, in the process trying to eschew the ugly stat-line he'd carried before that mini-breakout. The Cincinnati Reds 1B came barreling into a matchup with his former All Star teammate, Johnny Cueto, and the stage was set for a public tete-a-tete that Reds fans had quietly pondered for years.
Votto struck out in his first appearance against Cueto, but proceeded to launch a healthy 3-run dinger against the former Cincinnati ace in his second chance against him, at the time providing the Reds with the kind of big-hit that looked like it might lead to a win.