AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2006 > May > 17
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Chipper bound for a breakout
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Braves have had many heroes during their recent upturn. Chipper Jones hasn’t been one of them.
That’s not really a bad thing.
The Braves still have a lot of questions, including whether Marcus Giles can be a successful leadoff man. But no one doubts that their third baseman will hit and hit for power, even if he is 34 now.
Jones, like most long-ball hitters, has always been streaky, with his homers coming in waves. Right now, he’s in a drought.
The switch-hitter hasn’t homered since connecting off Pedro Martinez of the Mets at Turner Field on April 28. The Braves have played 17 games since then and he is still stuck on two homers for the season.
Jones had a 12-game hitting streak during the power drain, but he is just 2-for-17 on the homestand. That the Braves are on a 7-2 run says a lot about the rest of the lineup.
Look for the Braves’ No. 3 hitter to break out soon. When he does, the Braves could really get rolling.
