Jones gets ‘day off’ at DH

BALTIMORE —- The Braves kicked off their nine-game trip, which includes six games in American League cities Baltimore and Boston, with Chipper Jones at designated hitter.

Martin Prado’s groin was feeling better, so manager Bobby Cox had options, and he chose to rest the veteran’s legs.

“It’s just a way for Bobby to give me an unofficial day off,” Jones said.

In his younger days, Jones didn’t like playing DH, “I couldn’t get into the flow of games,” he said, but with age and experience, his stance has changed —- and he has found a way to excel at it, too. Entering this series, Jones was hitting .305 (25-for-82) as a designated hitter, with seven home runs and 12 RBIs. Overall, he is hitting .310 in his career.

He said by pinch hitting more often, which he’s done in recent years through injuries, has made him better at hitting “cold,” without action in the field between at-bats.

“The older you get, the more experience you get, you learn how to pinch hit, you learn how to DH, get yourself prepared for each and every at-bat,” Jones said. “The last couple years I’ve got a lot better.”

Jones was 3-for-30 (.100) as a pinch hitter through 2005, but he’s 7-for-16 (.438) since then, including 4-for-6 last year.

He hits off the tee to stay loose and follows the lead of Braves bench players, who start to get prepared —- physically and mentally —- in the fifth inning.

“Know the situation in the game, know the possibilities of where you can pinch hit, anticipating what the other manager might do, things like that,” Jones said.

Jones figures he’ll probably be the DH once or twice more on this trip. Cox could also get Brian McCann some rest behind the plate but keep his bat in the lineup. The Braves have day games Sunday against the Orioles and next Sunday in Boston.

Barbaro Canizares is another consideration for DH, given his defensive liabilities and the hot bat he was swinging at Class AAA Gwinnett, but he could be back in Gwinnett after this series.

Injury updates

First baseman Casey Kotchman stayed back this weekend to make a minor-league rehabilitation assignment in Gwinnett. He’ll play for Gwinnett on Saturday and Sunday, and if all goes well, rejoin the Braves Tuesday in Cincinnati, when he’s eligible to come off the disabled list.

Prado, meanwhile, has benefited from two games off. He is nursing a sore groin but has seen improvement. He has a little less trouble playing third than first, and third is where he was Friday night.

Prado said the injury is something he has had to deal with off and on for the past five years.

“It’s the kind of injury that comes back and goes away,” Prado said. “I’ve just got to do treatment and exercise and play through it.”

He said between the regular season and winter ball in Venezuela he hasn’t given his body much of a break.