Homestand may be like ‘away games’

Boston — The Braves returned home Sunday night from a nine-game trip, but it might be another week before they feel like they’re playing in front of home crowds.

The first seven games of their 10-game homestand are against the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, beginning with a single rainout makeup game against the Cubs on Monday.

“I’m sure it’ll be like seven away games for us,” right fielder Jeff Francoeur said, referring to thousands of Cubs, Yankees and Red Sox fans who’ll fill plenty of seats at Turner Field. “But we’re all used to that by now. … Then I think people forget, we’ve got the Phillies coming to town.”

The homestand ends with a June 30-July 2 series against Philadelphia.

Although Sunday’s 6-5 loss at Boston was the sixth and toughest loss of the trip, third baseman Chipper Jones sensed the Braves left Fenway Park with new confidence.

“Playing against one of the best teams in baseball, in their backyard on a cruddy day,” Jones said, “and we outpitched ‘em and outhit ‘em, plain and simple.

“We still got beat, but I think now these guys [Braves] believe they can play with anybody.”

Trio of Braves ejected

On a rainy Sunday in Boston, the air was cool, but tempers broiled.

The Braves were angry after J.D. Drew singled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, one pitch after what they believed was a missed call by umpire Bill Hohn on a would-be third strike.

Reliever Eric O’Flaherty was ejected for questioning the call (manager Bobby Cox was on his way out to replace him before O’Flaherty got tossed). Jones was ejected after accusing Hohn of “looking for a fight” when the umpire came from behind the plate and stared at O’Flaherty.

And in the midst of it, Cox was ejected for arguing the call and shouting at Hohn.

“I said, ‘How can you miss that? It’s right down the middle,’ ” O’Flaherty said. “I said it a few times. He was waiting for me to say anything else, but I didn’t. I didn’t cuss or anything. After the third or fourth time I said it, he threw me out. …

“To throw a fastball right down the middle and not get [the call], it’s pretty frustrating. He said it was down and in. I saw the replay. Right down the middle. Not even borderline.”

O’Flaherty added, “At the same time, they’re going to miss calls sometimes. It’s my fault for not bouncing back and making a good pitch on the next pitch.”

An enraged Jones had to be picked up in a bear hug by hitting coach Terry Pendleton and taken away from the argument between Cox and Hohn after the umpire ejected Jones.

“My only contention was that he was looking for O’Flaherty, looking to throw him out of the game,” said Jones, ejected for the sixth time in his career and first time since 2007.

“I told him he didn’t need to be looking for a fight, that he needed to stay behind the plate. That’s when he threw me out.”

Jones said he didn’t curse at Hohn until after getting tossed from the game, but that he did let the umpire have it after that.

“I don’t know why umpires have to be confrontational,” Jones said.

Cox was ejected for the second time this season and 145th time in his career, extending his own major-league record.

Burke added at Gwinnett

The Braves signed Chris Burke — whom some Atlanta fans remember with disdain — to a minor-league contract Friday and assigned him to Class AAA Gwinnett.

As an Astros rookie in 2005, Burke beat the Braves with an 18th-inning homer off Joey Devine in an epic, Game 4 division-series clincher at Houston. The Braves haven’t played a postseason game since.

Once the top-rated prospect in the Astros organization, Burke had three mediocre seasons with them before being traded to Arizona. The former University of Tennessee standout was non-tendered after hitting .194 with two homers in 199 at-bats for the Diamondbacks last season.

He went from San Diego to Seattle and back to San Diego before being released by the Padres and hooking on with the Braves. Burke, 29, has a .239 average with 23 homers and 111 RBIs in 1,443 major-league at-bats. He’s played every position except catcher, but primarily second base and the outfield.