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It should be noted that Justin Upton’s two home runs Monday came against a 37-year-old non-roster invitee, Rodrigo Lopez, and a 22-year-old minor leaguer, Colton Murray.
That said, Upton and the Braves were nonetheless pleased to see the left fielder stay hot in a messy 17-10 Grapefruit League win against the Phillies at Champion Stadium
Upton went 3-for-3 with two homers, six RBIs and a walk in four plate appearances, giving him five hits in his past five at-bats, including a two-hit game Saturday against the Yankees.
“It’s always nice when you go up there and you see the ball and you’re putting good swings on it,” said Upton, who raised his average to .292 (14-for-48) with four homers and a team-high 15 RBIs in 18 games. “Obviously it’s spring training and you’re just trying to get comfortable right now, get your timing right. But it’s always nice to see some results.”
Upton hit a two-run homer off journeyman right-hander Lopez in a six-run first inning, which landed on top of the grass berm beyond left field. He added a three-run homer in the third inning off Murray, an extra pitcher brought along from Phillies minor league camp for the day.
Both pulled shots sailed at least 425 feet. Long, but not colossal like the homer Feb. 25 homer he hit against Miami that sailed over the berm and a fence that separates it from the players’ parking lot.
Upton was 1-for-16 with seven strikeouts in a six-game stretch before his consecutive multi-hit games. He credited early work in the batting cage for helping him get out of the funk.
“Just getting into a routine in the cage in the morning, getting reps,” Upton said. “Early on in the spring, there’s a lot going on. You’re taking pictures, maybe doing an interview, doing something and you don’t really get into your routine. Now everything’s died down, you get to the cage and try to find what’s going to get you through the season.”
Hitting coach Greg Walker said over the weekend that Upton made a swing adjustment and looked comfortable.
“We were working on a few things, get the swing path back right,” Upton said, “and Saturday I was starting to feel OK. Having (Sunday) off and getting some cage time, then getting back out there today, it’s starting to come along.”
