Brian McCann is healthy, which is why none of us should be surprised that McCann is hitting. Like he’s always hit when healthy.

    The veteran Braves catcher has hit .309 with nine doubles, 11 homers and 29 RBIs in his past 44 games, with a .a 361 OBP and .564 slugging percentage in that stretch. The Braves are 29-15 in those games.

   In 23 home games during that period, beginning June 29, the seven-time All-Star catcher has hit .329 (28-for-85) with nine homers, 22 RBIs, a .400 OBP and .718 slugging percentage.

   With rookie catcher Evan Gattis struggling since his torrid start, the popular opinion in Braves Country seems to have swung back almost entirely toward the must-keep-McCann stance.

    I’m asked literally every day, usually more than a few times, if I think McCann’s strong comeback season after shoulder surgery, plus Gattis’ struggles of late, will lead the Braves to be more aggressive in trying to retain McCann, or just asked whether I think they will re-sign the pending free agent before or after the season and playoffs end.

  Honestly, nothing that’s happened this season has changed what I think will happen. And that is, I think several American League teams, and at least one or two NL teams, will offer McCann a deal comparable to the five-year, $75 million contract that Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina got a couple of years ago. And I don’t think the Braves will be one.

  AL teams, particularly ones with big budgets, can better afford to take whatever risk there might be in signing McCann, 29, to a long-term deal. And personally, I don’t think it’s a risk at all for an AL team, because even if McCann becomes too banged up to catch in a few years, the dude is a born hitter who should continue to do that at an elite level into his mid-30s, at least. He can do that as a DH if/when he's not able to catch on a regular basis.

“I don’t want him to leave, that’s for sure," Braves pitcher Kris Medlen said after his seven scoreless innings Thursday night against the Indians, when McCann's three-run homer provided all the offense for Atlanta in its 3-1 win. "I know he’s going into free agency and I know he’s had a great career here, but I don’t want him to leave. Nothing on Gerald (Laird) or (Evan) Gattis or nothing like that, but he’s been so huge for not just me – I’ve been lucky enough to just have two catchers for the most part my entire career – but he’s been so huge for the development of everybody in this clubhouse.

 "We have so many young guys every year who come in and have to step up, and he’s been that consistent guy you can go to and he has a plan. He’s just very valuable to us.”

 An NL team such as Philadelphia, which has a far bigger payroll than the Braves and with Carlos Ruiz up for free agency, might go hard after McCann. He would account for less than 10 percent of their payroll over the course of the contract, and if he can’t catch the entire time, then they can use him at catcher/pinch-hitter or eventually see if he might want to play some first base if they ever get out from under Ryan Howard’s contract or eventually buy it out. It’s not such a risk if you have payrolls of more than $150 million, not like with a payroll closer to $90 million.

  The other big factor that can’t be ignored: The Braves have Gattis and strong-armed catching prospect Christian Bethancourt, 21, who has made strides as a hitter this season, batting .280 with 20 doubles, 12 homers and a .748 OPS in his second season at Double-A Mississippi, up from .243 with two homers and a .566 OPS in an injury-shortened 2012 season. And they have Laird under contract through 2014 to serve as a backup.

  McCann? His three-run homer Thursday powered the Braves to a 3-1 win against the Indians. One more homer will give him his sixth consecutive 20-homer season and his seventh in eight full seasons in the majors. Since the beginning of the 2006 season, his first full year in the big leagues, he leads major league catchers in home runs (170), RBIs (631), two-out RBIs (265) and game-winning RBIs (79).

 Yeah, he's pretty good.

  The Braves and McCann agreed to hold off any contract discussions until after the season and playoffs. Something tells me that when he hits the free-agent market, other teams will offer far more than the Braves might offer, and eventually he’ll turn down their qualifying offer and head elsewhere, with the Braves getting a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds as compensation.

  Maybe I’ll be wrong. Maybe things will change between now and then. But so far, that’s how I felt and still feel about the situation. And like most of you, I’ll hate to see McCann go because he’s a great guy on top of being a great hitter and a clubhouse leader.

BRAVES LINEUP Monday

1. Schafer rf
2. JUpton lf
3. Freeman 1b
4. McCann c
5. CJohnson 3b
6. BUpton cf
7. Uggla 2b
8. Simmons ss
9. Maholm p

  • Kimbrel same results, different blueprint: Craig Kimbrel converted his majors-leading 43^rd save Thursday night and his 33^rd in a row without a blown save, extending his own franchise record.

  But the Braves closer has been getting it done a little differently lately: In his past 10 games, he’s allowed just five hits and no walks in 10-1/3 scoreless innings, but has only eight strikeouts in that span and more than one strikeout in just one of those 10 appearances, that when he struck out three in one inning Aug. 18 vs. Washington.

  Kimbrel has one strikeout apiece in five of his past 10 appearances, and no strikeouts in four appearances in that span, including the perfect ninth inning Thursday. This from the guy who struck out 50 percent of the batters he faced in 2012, the first to do that in a full season in major league history

  Fewer strikeouts has translated to fewer pitches: Kimbrel has thrown 12 or fewer pitches in six of his past 10 appearances, and threw 14 (twice), 16 and 18 in the other four appearances during that stretch. Compare that to the previous 10 appearances, when Kimbrel’s pitch totals included highs of 36, 29, 25, 18, 18, 17 and 16.

  In fact, he threw 12 or fewer pitches in only three of his previous 18 appearances before doing it more than half of his past 10 appearnaces.

  During his run of 33 consecutive saves converted, Kimbrel has allowed just 20 hits, one run and 14 walks with 59 strikeouts in 42-1/3 innings, for a 0.21 ERA and .139 opponents’ average. Unmitigated dominance.

 • Here's one from the Glimmer Twins, Mick and Keef, which you can hear by clicking here. Probably my favorite, most-enduring Stones tune, and that's saying something.

“STREET FIGHTING MAN” by The Rolling Stones

Ev'rywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging feet, boy
Cause summer's here and the time is right for fighting in the street, boy
But what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock 'n' roll band
Cause in sleepy London town
There's just no place for a street fighting man
No

Hey! Think the time is right for a palace revolution
But where I live the game to play is compromise solution
Well, then what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock 'n' roll band
'Cause in sleepy London town
There's no place for a street fighting man
No

Hey! Said my name is called disturbance
I'll shout and scream, I'll kill the king, I'll rail at all his servants
Well, what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock 'n' roll band
Cause in sleepy London town
There's no place for a street fighting man
No