SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale discusses what will be an exciting race to the finish for these teams looking to secure a wild card spot. USA TODAY
Joey Votto’s explanation for his lack of power numbers this year was typical Votto: Deeply detailed and mostly hitter-speak.
Votto, who turned 35 Monday, had 11 home runs going into Monday’s game. He hit 36 last year and 29 each of the two years before that. His slugging percentage was .422, down from .578 last season.
He hit home runs Saturday and Sunday.