DETROIT — Struggling center fielder B.J. Upton was out of the Braves lineup for just the second time Sunday, and Tyler Pastornicky was at second base for his first start since being recalled from Triple-A last week.
Jordan Schafer got the start in center field in place of Upton, who was hitting .151 with three homers, a .229 on-base percentage and 30 strikeouts in 86 at-bats, including 4-for-32 with 14 strikeouts in his past eight games.
Upton and second baseman Dan Uggla were tied for second in the National League in strikeouts before Sunday, when the .167-hitting Uggla served as designated hitter while Pastornicky got the start in the infield.
“It’s exciting,” said Pastornicky, who hit .351 with six doubles in 18 games at Gwinnett before taking Heyward’s roster spot. “I feel like I’m ready to go out there and show what I’ve been working on. I’m feeling really comfortable at second base. I had a good spring and I continued to swing the bat well in Triple-A, so I’m excited to go out there and show what I can do again.”
Pastornicky was the Braves’ opening-day shortstop in 2012 as a rookie, but lost the job when the Braves replaced him with the defensively superior Andrelton Simmons at the end of May. Manger Fredi Gonzalez was impressed with Pastornicky’s improvement at spring training.
“Get him in there,” Gonzalez said. “He’s been playing a pretty good second base at Triple-A, from the reports. Put a little speed up there, a little contact. He’s an offensive guy. He has hit in the big leagues a little bit.”
The lineup the Braves used Sunday was the 10th different one they’ve used on the 10-game trip, not including the pitcher’s spot for the seven National League games at Pittsburgh and Colorado.
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