If you’ve found it tough to watch the Braves at times since Jason Heyward was sidelined by a broken jaw 3 1/2 weeks ago, imagine how it’s been for him, reduced to observing his team in the throes of a playoff race. That’s tough.
“Absolutely, it is,” said Heyward, who continued his recovery progress Saturday when he took batting practice and fielded fly balls for the second consecutive day. “It’s tough to watch them lose, it’s tough to watch them win, because either way you’re not contributing physically.
“I know I’m there in mindset and things like that, but at the same time I’d like to be out there affecting the ballgame, kind of making everybody’s minds at ease in certain areas of the game. And again, I look forward to doing that as soon as possible.”
The Braves want to have Heyward back for at least the last few games of the regular season, so the big right fielder can get back to game speed and — they hope — provide a spark as the Braves enter the postseason.
Heyward gave the lineup a much-needed jolt after being moved to the leadoff spot in late July, and it’s been a considerably less productive offense since he went on the disabled list.
He hit .357 with six doubles, five homers, 15 RBIs and 24 runs in his past 22 games, beginning July 28, the day after he was moved to leadoff. He had a .426 on-base percentage and .607 slugging percentage during that torrid stretch, and the Braves as a team hit .267 and averaged 5.2 runs while going 18-4.
In 21 games since he got hurt, the Braves were 11-10 and hit .230 while averaging 3.4 runs per game before Saturday.
Until Friday, Heyward was restricted to hitting balls flipped to him or on a tee, but he’s taken batting practice two days wearing a helmet with a protective guard bolted to the ear flap and extending across his right cheek and jaw. He also has a mouthpiece.
“I haven’t had to really think about it at all,” he said of the attachment. “I just feel safe, and that’s the main thing. … It’s been fun hitting on the field again. Just really anxious to play baseball as soon as possible. Everything’s going in the right direction.”
He didn’t drive many balls as far as the warning track on his first day of batting practice, but Heyward hit a few over the fence Saturday, including one halfway up the right-field foul pole.
Braves officials will meet at some point Sunday, after he takes batting practice again, to determine whether Heyward should accompany the team when it flies to Washington after the game to begin a week-long, two-city trip.
He could instead go to spring-training headquarters in Florida to take batting practice in the instructional league and face live pitching as soon as he’s ready for that next step. Or, go to Washington for the first stop on the trip, then to Florida.
“He could probably do more (in Florida),” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “We’ve discussed it, but we don’t know what the timetable is.”
Beachy update: After backing off his throwing program because of lingering soreness in his surgically repaired elbow, Brandon Beachy will resume throwing Monday or Tuesday.
“What I mean by throwing, just playing a little catch,” Gonzalez said. “Nothing more than that.”
He hasn’t pitched in a game since Aug. 20, and it’s uncertain whether Beachy will have enough time to get back to game readiness before the regular season ends Sept. 29.
Beachy had Tommy John surgery nearly 15 months ago and was 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in five starts after returning in July. He was shut down for two weeks after lingering soreness increased during an Aug. 20 start. He resumed throwing before having more discomfort last week.
Hail, Hale: Not only did Braves rookie David Hale establish a franchise record with nine strikeouts in his major league debut Friday, the Marietta native did something no Braves pitcher has done in the modern era since 1900: strike out more than eight batters without allowing a run in a big-league debut.
Only two pitchers, the Mets’ Matt Harvey and Collin McHugh, have pulled off that feat in the past 10 seasons, both in 2012. Hale’s nine strikeouts were one more than the previous franchise record for a debut. Bob Dresser set the record in 1902, and Kenshin Kawakami matched it 2009.
Hale, 25, allowed four hits and one walk and left with a 3-0 lead, which the Braves’ bullpen blew in a 4-3 loss. Hale called his scoreless debut performance “a dream come true” and said it would boost his confidence for next season.
Gonzalez said the Braves set a limit of 85-95 pitches for Hale and weren’t going to push that because the rookie hadn’t pitched since Sept. 2. He threw 87.
Gonzalez mentioned possibly using Hale out of the bullpen in the next couple of weeks and said, “He really made an impression. If he doesn’t pitch again this year, we go into spring training feeling like we have something there.”
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