CINCINNATI -- Jonathan India's lull in production was brief, while Nick Castellanos has endured a longer tough stretch at the plate since returning from an injury. As for Joey Votto, he hasn’t really stopped hitting at all.

After a couple of losses where the Reds offense was quite lackluster, it bounced back on Thursday -- in large part -- because of those three players.

But it was Votto who had the biggest hit, with his three-run home run in the fourth inning leading the way to a 6-1 Reds victory over the Marlins at Great American Ball Park.

“Joey Votto, every night, he does something cool,” India said. “At this point it’s like, ‘oh there’s Joey again doing something, hitting a home run, hitting a double or making a nice play.’ It’s so fun to watch. He’s been our leader this whole year for us. When Joey goes, we go. It’s been awesome.”

While the Padres were idle on Thursday, the Reds (66-57) inched closer in the National League Wild Card race, ending the night one game out of the second spot.

Cincinnati was held to one run in each of its last two games -- and over 21 innings dating back to Monday. Luis Castillo was the key beneficiary of its rebound, as the right-hander allowed one earned run and eight hits over seven quality innings with one walk and seven strikeouts. With the win, Castillo improved to 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA in five career starts against the Marlins.

“I felt spectacular today, commanding the zone and commanding all my pitches as well,” Castillo said via translator Jorge Merlos. “I felt pretty good once I saw Joey hit the home run. It felt nice to have that lead right there. … I was proud of how the offense worked today and how the defense worked behind me, too.”

Miami scored first with a two-out rally in the top of the fourth inning. After a pair of strikeouts, Castillo gave up a single and a walk leading up to Jorge Alfaro’s RBI single to right field.

Cincinnati answered immediately in the bottom of the fourth against Marlins pitcher Nick Neidert, sending nine men to the plate. India led it off with a single to left field and Castellanos hit a one-out single into center field.

That set up Votto, who slugged Neidert’s 2-2 pitch into the right-field seats for a three-run home run.

“It seemed like the one pitch to Joey, [Neidert] tried to go away and [Votto] pulled it across into the nitrozone,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “Joey doesn’t leave the zone often. You don’t catch him him chasing. He forces you into the strike zone. He uses the whole ballpark. He has always been a good hitter and a tough out.”

It was Votto’s team-leading 27th homer of the season and his 1,091st career run scored -- which moved him into a tie for third in franchise history with Hall of Famer Johnny Bench. He also has 322 career homers.

In 26 games since July 23, the 37-year-old Votto is batting .333 with 15 homers and 37 RBIs.

“We're all very confident, but most importantly it's where Joey is right now. He's confident, he's having fun. He's enjoying his at-bats,” Reds manager David Bell said. “You do get a good feeling when he's at the plate and you know that no matter what it's going to be an aggressive at-bat and he's giving himself a great chance every time he goes to the plate.”

Tyler Stephenson kept the pressure on with a walk before Kyle Farmer added an RBI double near the right-field corner, out of reach of a diving Jesús Sánchez, for a three-run lead.

India’s one-out RBI double and Castellanos’ two-out RBI single in the seventh inning padded the Reds’ lead, and they wouldn't look back.

Over the previous two games -- both losses to the rebuilding Cubs -- India was 0-for-8. He hasn’t gone three straight games without a hit since a six-game hitless streak ended on May 12. Both times when he reached base on Thursday, he scored.

“I love that feeling where my team depends on me,” India said. “If I get on, we’re going to win. It’s a good, good feeling. It doesn’t put pressure on me. It makes me feel more confident at the plate. It makes me feel like I’m a big part of this team.”

Castellanos came into the game 9-for-46 (.196) in 13 games since returning from a right wrist microfracture.

The Reds' offense wasn’t likely to have been sputtering for long. Led by Votto since the All-Star break, the club leads the NL in runs, home runs and OPS.

“I was really happy with our whole day today,” Bell said. “I know our players were determined, just like they always are, but work was great, the environment was great and we were determined to come out and do everything we could to get a win tonight.”