[Stardust]

WASHINGTON — “Finally, they couldn’t walk Joey,” Dusty Baker said.

Votto came up in the seventh and the ninth with runners in scoring position. The Nationals intentionally walked him both times. Both times Scott Rolen followed by striking out to end the inning.

The difference was in the 11th innings first base was not open. The Nats allowed Tyler Clippard to pitch to Votto. Votto went the opposite way with a double to left to make it 7-5. Rolen drove in Votto to push it 8-5.

That’s how it ended.

Votto wasn’t surprised the Nats challenged him.

“That’s totally different situation,” he said. “It was first and second. The other times, they had a base open. Tyler’s difficult to face in that situation. I haven’t had a lot of success off him. I don’t particularly like facing him.”

Votto was 1-for-4 with a strikeout versus Clippard. But he threw a low fastball. Votto didn’t miss it. It got over Mark DeRosa’s head in a flash.

Sean Marshall wrapped it up for his first save as a Red, and the Reds crew got out of town with a much-needed win.

“We would have like to split the series,” Votto said. “We would have like to win that long game (Friday). But you take what you can get this time of year. That sounds like a pathetic approach. But it really is an odd time of the year.”

The Reds led this one 5-0. The game was 4-0, thanks Ryan Ludwick’s grand slam, in fact, before the Nationals came to bat.

“In my opinion, this is a huge win,” Ludwick said. “We walk out of here getting swept, it totally different feeling. They came back. Then Joey gets big hit late. It’s just a big win, a really, really big win.”