Chipper Jones is expected to resume his pursuit of the National League batting title Friday at Arizona, the first day the Braves third baseman is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list.

Jones, the major-league batting leader at .369, hasn't played since straining his left hamstring July 23 game at Florida. He took infield and live batting practice Saturday for the first time since the injury.

"I feel great," said Jones, whose down time has also helped him get over a lingering right quadriceps injury. "Everything feels good. I'll be ready by Friday."

The Braves have a seven-game trip to San Francisco and Arizona that begins Monday with the opener of a three-game series against the Giants.

They are 2-9 since he went on the disabled list, his first stint on the DL this season. Not that he could have done anything for their pitching woes — the Braves have posted a plus-7.00 ERA in that stretch.

They've also been without All-Star catcher Brian McCann since he sustained a concussion in a July 27 home-plate collision with Philadelphia's Shane Victorino. McCann was cleared to pinch-hit this weekend and is expected back in the lineup Monday.

Jones missed games for back spasms and a partially torn quad, but hadn't been on the DL in over a year. Since he returned from his last previous DL stint on June 13, 2007, the Braves have a 93-88 record when he plays and 6-20 when he doesn't.

Over that period, the switch-hitter has batted .361 with 44 doubles and 35 homers in 181 games.

While Jones still held a 19-point lead in the NL hitting race before Saturday, his first batting title is hardly assured. He needs to stay healthy enough to get at least 122 more plate appearances to reach the 502 minimum required to qualify.

Then there is the matter of steadily climbing Albert Pujols, who had a .350 average before Saturday, including .355 in his past 33 games.

Jones has hit .253 with three homers in his past 29 games, after hitting .419 average and 15 homers in 60 games through June 11.

He returned from the quadriceps injury before he was healed, because the Braves were battling to stay in the NL East race.

After the team blew big leads in two losses last weekend in Philadelphia, Braves officials figuratively raised the white flag.

They put Jones and pitcher Tim Hudson on the DL Monday (retroactively to June 24) and traded Mark Teixeira on Tuesday.

What Hudson initially thought was only a strained muscle turned out to be a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, and he's expected to have season-ending ligament-transplant surgery.

Hudson planned to test his arm with flat-ground throwing Sunday. Unless the pain is suddenly gone, he'll have surgery this week.