Freddie Freeman was out of the Braves lineup for the first time since July 19 on Thursday night, ending a stretch of 36 straight starts, with what Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez characterized as a one-game breather for some chronic knee issues.
Freeman has had problems with his patellar tendon, first injuring it in 2010 with Triple-A Gwinnett and again during spring training last year when he subluxed his knee cap while picking throws at first base.
“You saw him limping around a little bit yesterday,” Gonzalez said. “He’s got the knee thing that bothers him every once in a while. It’s one of those things that’s going to be nagging….This is not going to make it go away tomorrow, but it’ll maybe make it feel a little better.”
Freeman, who has probably been the Braves’ most consistent offensive force this season, is 0-for-his-last-13.
“I went in there and watched some video with Walk and Fletch (hitting coaches Greg Walker and Scott Fletcher) and my balance was a little off,” Freeman said. “I wasn’t centered, so hopefully just take today and get it all figured out and get back out there tomorrow.”
Gonzalez said he decided to go with Joey Terdoslavich over Evan Gattis at first base because of Terdoslavich’s experience there. Terdoslavich played 215 games in the minor leagues at first base, including 68 games in Double-A Mississippi in 2012. Gattis has played 11 games at first in the majors and minors combined.
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