NEW YORK — Braves third baseman Chipper Jones last hit No. 2 at the 2000 All-Star Game, batting between Barry Larkin and Vladimir Guerrero. He went 3-for-3 with his only All-Star home run.
Jones hit second Thursday in the first game of a doubleheader against the Mets as manager Fredi Gonzalez tried to spark a struggling Braves offense.
“No matter where I hit, I’m going to go up there and look for the first fat one and wail on it,” said Jones, who also batted second in four games in 1996. “It’s not going to change depending on where I hit.”
Jones doubled and homered in his first two at-bats.
Gonzalez said he wanted to put his top on-base percentage hitters at the top of the lineup: Michael Bourn (.322), Jones (.355), Brian McCann (.358), Dan Uggla (.310) and Freddie Freeman (.353).
The Braves have scored only 16 runs in losing five of their past six games before Thursday’s doubleheader.
“See if we can get something going and try something different,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t think I will keep it for a long time.”
Gonzalez said ultimately his goal is to get Jason Heyward more at-bats and move him back to the No. 2 spot in the batting order.
The move was not done on the spur of the moment, according to Gonzalez. He said he has discussed the move with Jones for about a week. Before Wednesday’s series finale against the Phillies, Gonzalez showed Jones three different lineup cards.
“I said, ‘What do you think about that one?’ That was the one with him hitting second. He said ‘I like it.’”
Neither Gonzalez nor Jones wants the veteran to change his approach at the plate. In other words, don’t expect any bunts. It will also be important that Jones not take hittable pitches should Bourn get on base, in an effort to allow him to steal. That became an issue in the first few games after the Braves acquired Bourn and Martin Prado passed on strikes.
Beachy gets record
Brandon Beachy made Atlanta Braves history in Wednesday’s loss to the Phillies. The rookie right-hander finished with seven strikeouts to run his season total to 142, topping the mark set by Jair Jurrjens (139) in 2008.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” Beachy said Thursday. “It’s one of those numbers that doesn’t show up where it matters. We try to win games whether I strike out 10 guys or zero. I would rather win the game. I didn’t do that. [Strikeouts] help in certain situations, but it’s not something I’m setting out trying to do.”
Beachy started a run of four consecutive games in which the Braves sent a rookie pitcher to the mound. Mike Minor and Julio Teheran started games Thursday. Randall Delgado was scheduled to start the opening of a weekend series against the Cardinals on Friday.
Key matchup with Cards
The Braves entered Thursday’s game with a 6 1/2-game lead over the idle Cardinals in the National League wild-card race. The Braves have a chance to open some distance with their nearest competitor — or make things a whole lot more interesting in the final weeks of the season.
The Braves have been here before. They won three of four from the Giants and swept three games from the Diamondbacks in back-to-back series at Turner Field last month.
“We just need to win ballgames,” Jones said. “We are not focused on Philly. We are not focused on St. Louis. ... Don’t worry about who is chasing you, who is in front of you. Just get back to Atlanta Braves baseball. That’s good starting pitching, timely hitting and good defense.”
By Chris Vivlamore civlamore@ajc.com
NEW YORK — Braves third baseman Chipper Jones last hit No. 2 at the 2000 All-Star Game, batting between Barry Larkin and Vladimir Guerrero. He went 3-for-3 with his only All-Star home run.
Jones hit second Thursday in the first game of a doubleheader against the Mets as manager Fredi Gonzalez tried to spark a struggling Braves offense.
"No matter where I hit, I'm going to go up there and look for the first fat one and wail on it," said Jones, who also batted second in four games in 1996. "It's not going to change depending on where I hit."
Jones doubled and homered in his first two at-bats.
Gonzalez said he wanted to put his top on-base percentage hitters at the top of the lineup: Michael Bourn (.322), Jones (.355), Brian McCann (.358), Dan Uggla (.310) and Freddie Freeman (.353).
The Braves have scored only 16 runs in losing five of their past six games before Thursday's doubleheader.
"See if we can get something going and try something different," Gonzalez said. "I don't think I will keep it for a long time."
Gonzalez said ultimately his goal is to get Jason Heyward more at-bats and move him back to the No. 2 spot in the batting order.
The move was not done on the spur of the moment, according to Gonzalez. He said he has discussed the move with Jones for about a week. Before Wednesday's series finale against the Phillies, Gonzalez showed Jones three different lineup cards.
"I said, 'What do you think about that one?' That was the one with him hitting second. He said 'I like it.'"
Neither Gonzalez nor Jones wants the veteran to change his approach at the plate. In other words, don't expect any bunts. It will also be important that Jones not take hittable pitches should Bourn get on base, in an effort to allow him to steal. That became an issue in the first few games after the Braves acquired Bourn and Martin Prado passed on strikes.
Beachy gets record
Brandon Beachy made Atlanta Braves history in Wednesday's loss to the Phillies. The rookie right-hander finished with seven strikeouts to run his season total to 142, topping the mark set by Jair Jurrjens (139) in 2008.
"I haven't really thought about it," Beachy said Thursday. "It's one of those numbers that doesn't show up where it matters. We try to win games whether I strike out 10 guys or zero. I would rather win the game. I didn't do that. [Strikeouts] help in certain situations, but it's not something I'm setting out trying to do."
Beachy started a run of four consecutive games in which the Braves sent a rookie pitcher to the mound. Mike Minor and Julio Teheran started games Thursday. Randall Delgado was scheduled to start the opening of a weekend series against the Cardinals on Friday.
Key matchup with Cards
The Braves entered Thursday's game with a 6 1/2-game lead over the idle Cardinals in the National League wild-card race. The Braves have a chance to open some distance with their nearest competitor — or make things a whole lot more interesting in the final weeks of the season.
The Braves have been here before. They won three of four from the Giants and swept three games from the Diamondbacks in back-to-back series at Turner Field last month.
"We just need to win ballgames," Jones said. "We are not focused on Philly. We are not focused on St. Louis. ... Don't worry about who is chasing you, who is in front of you. Just get back to Atlanta Braves baseball. That's good starting pitching, timely hitting and good defense."
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