CHICAGO — Chipper Jones is out of the Braves' lineup for tonight's game against the Cubs after straining his right groin during the series-opening loss Monday.
The 37-year-old third baseman said he hoped to miss only a day or two. However, groin injuries can sometimes linger if they're not allowed to heal completely.
Jones said he felt a twinge as he came out of the batter's box on his fourth-inning single. He scored on Yunel Escobar's single later in the inning, and he played the entire game.
Jones is just 19-for-89 (.213) with one homer, nine RBIs and a .303 slugging percentage in his past 25 games. Before his power outage, he hit .483 with four homers and 14 RBIs in an eight-game binge through June 9.
Martin Prado moved from second to third base to replace Jones in tonight's lineup, and utility man Brooks Conrad will make his second start at second base.
The Braves take a three-game losing streak into tonight's game against the Cubs and pitcher Carlos Zambrano, whose start was moved up a day after scheduled Cubs starter Ryan Dempster was diagnosed today with a broken right big toe.
Zambrano had been scheduled to start Wednesday's series finale, but the Cubs recalled right-hander Kevin Hart from Class AAA to handle that assignment.
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