Chipper Jones realizes his body is aging, but talking about injuries that are keeping him out of the lineup is really getting old.
Jones said he likely will miss the next several games after straining his right quad muscle Monday in the series opener against the Pirates. It was his first game back from the disabled list after arthroscopic knee surgery on his right knee. He was out of the starting lineup Tuesday.
“I feel more frustration than anything,” the Braves’ 39-year-old third baseman said. “I’m tired of talking about things that are keeping me out of ballgames.”
Jones said he was told the injury was a strained muscle that went into spasm. He said following the game there was a six-inch area of his thigh that was raised. Jones described the area as “pretty sore” after undergoing treatment Tuesday.
Jones was injured in the sixth inning when the Pirates’ Neil Walker reached far out to swing at a pitchout and hit a slow roller to third base. Jones fielded the ball and threw across his body for the out at first base. Jones had seen the pitchout sign and relaxed, not expecting the ball to be put in play.
Jones said the muscle continued to tighten throughout the course of the game. After an eighth-inning home run, he came out of the game.
Schafer scratched
Jordan Schafer’s injured finger isn’t healing as quickly as planned, and there’s a chance the center fielder will need a stint on the 15-day disabled list. He was a late scratch Tuesday after the finger was too sore during batting practice. Nate McLouth moved to center field from left field, and Eric Hinske started in left.
“I’m not sure what we’re going to do,” Schafer said of the DL possibility. “Obviously we need a full bench, so ...”
Schafer has missed five starts since jamming the finger on a head-first slide while stealing second base Thursday at Colorado. He and the Braves originally thought he would miss only a game or two, and Monday they decided not to disable him after he tested the finger throwing and hitting.
Three hours before Tuesday’s game, manager Fredi Gonzalez said that team medical staff had assured Schafer he could not do more damage to the finger by playing with it.
But after batting practice, Schafer told team officials that it was still too painful to swing.
O’Flaherty is ERA leader
While All-Stars Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters have deservedly received plenty of attention for their performances in the Braves’ bullpen, fellow reliever Eric O’Flaherty quietly whittled his ERA to a majors-leading 0.96 before Tuesday, ahead of Cleveland’s Joe Smith (1.14) and San Diego’s Mike Adams (1.17).
“We have those two other guys, so he flies under the radar,” Gonzalez said.
O’Flaherty began Tuesday riding a streak of 22 appearances without giving up an earned run. He gave up 15 hits, one unearned run and eight walks with 14 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings during that period.
“I’m not really pitching too much better than last year, it’s just that the guys coming in behind me aren’t cashing in any runs,” said O’Flaherty, who had a 2.45 ERA in 56 appearances for the Braves in 2010. “I left the bases loaded a few times, and Jonny or someone came in and got a ground ball or a strikeout, and I look good. So it’s more a credit to those guys.”
