With the way B.J. Upton has been scuffling, any signs of improvement, no matter how small, are a good thing for the Braves.
But they didn’t have to settle for anything incremental from Upton on Wednesday afternoon. Upton hit a leadoff home run in the fourth inning of the Braves’ 8-3 rout of the Twins at Turner Field.
The home run was Upton’s first since April 23 and followed his two-hit outing in a victory against the Twins on Tuesday. It’s the first time Upton has hit in consecutive games since May 7 and May 9; he’s yet to hit in three consecutive games.
“I’ve still got some work to do, but I think overall it’s definitely getting a lot better,” Upton said. “Hopefully it can continue to go the way it’s going right now.”
Upton lately appears to be using a stance that’s wider and more open. He also has worked on the timing of his left foot tap.
“They’ve been tinkering,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of Upton and coaches Greg Walker and Scott Fletcher. “It’s probably got a lot more to do with his leg kick, try to get his foot down quicker and get in hitting position. It’s little by little. When you try to make changes with major-league hitters, it takes a little patience. It takes a little time for them to get it, and then you’ve got to ask them to produce in the major leagues. So it’s tough at times.”
Upton, who also made a nice running catch for the second out in the ninth inning Tuesday, said the improvements in his swing came after he “cleaned up a couple of things” that he didn’t specify.
“It wasn’t really necessarily that (leg kick),” he said. “I made a couple of other adjustments. Things are coming along pretty well right now and hopefully I can keep it going.”
Upton said he’s still got a lot of work to do. He isn’t close to producing at the level the Braves expected when they signed him during the offseason. Upton’s .155 batting average and .246 on-base percentage both rank worst among Braves regulars.
Heyward going 'oppo': Four of Jason Heyward's first five hits since his return from the disabled list have been to the opposite field, entering Wednesday's series finale against the Twins. That's a sign that he's rounding back into form after hitting only .121 in 17 games before his appendectomy.
“Just hitting the ball where it’s pitched, not trying to do too much,” Heyward said. “Don’t focus too much on hitting the ball in any specific spot. Just go up there and react and have good enough timing to hit the ball where it’s pitched.”
His first two hits Friday night against the Dodgers went to left field, including a double down the line.
Heyward said he and former Brave Chipper Jones have had regular conversations about using the opposite field. Jones was quick to text Heyward after he homered to the opposite field April 16 against the Royals, telling him he made an old man proud. Heyward’s response? Words he’d heard from Jones for years. “Anybody can pull the ball. It takes a real man to go oppo.”
Rasmus debut: In the eighth inning with two runners on, Cory Rasmus' childhood dream came true. Rasmus came on in relief for the Braves in his major league debut Wednesday.
Rasmus grew up as a Braves fan in Phenix City, Ala. He recalls watching games with his family since he was old enough to understand the game.
“We grew up going to my great-grandmother’s house everyday, and she wouldn’t miss a Braves game,” Rasmus said. “I watched them everyday growing up. For me to be able to come up here and play is really special. I feel like she’s probably watching. I just hope I made her proud.”
Rasmus dealt with a little bit of everything during his first outing. He struck out three batters, but allowed two home runs in 1 2/3 innings. Aaron Hicks led off the ninth inning with a home run to right field on a 2-2 fastball.
The Braves recalled Rasmus from Triple-A Gwinnett when they placed Eric O’Flaherty on the disabled list. Rasmus was 1-1 with a 0.93 ERA in 19 appearances for Gwinnett. He was 7-for-7 in save opportunities with 21 strikeouts and nine walks in 19 1/3 innings, with a .123 opponents’ batting average.
Roster watch: The Braves plan to continue with the six-man bullpen at least through the Toronto series Monday and Tuesday so they can take advantage of the having three catchers when they use the designated hitter.
“You can use (Evan) Gattis as DH one night or catch and use (Brian) McCann and then keep (Gerald) Laird,” Gonzalez said. “That’d be nice. But it could change. We got to get through New York series first.”
