CINCINNATI – As soon as the Braves posted a Jason Heyward-less lineup Saturday, plenty of concerned fans took to the Internet and Twitter wanting to find out if the hot-hitting right fielder was hurt.
Nope, just a scheduled day off after starting 19 consecutive games.
“He’s played every inning of every game (recently),” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, noting that his oversized leadoff hitter played all 12 innings Friday against the Reds with Heyward’s typical intensity. “Extra innings yesterday he’s running around like a wild man out there. So I’m just giving him a little breather.
“I may do it (Sunday) with somebody else, give them a day game off, which would give them two days (since the team is off Monday). We’ll see what tomorrow brings after today.”
Heyward had played every game since missing four consecutive starts with a back strain July 29-Aug. 1 — an absence that did nothing to dampen his extended hot streak at the plate. He had a .289 average with 20 extra-base hits (five home runs) and a .366 on-base percentage in 69 games since the beginning of June, including .324 (22-for-68) with six extra-base hits, eight RBIs and 10 runs in his past 17 games.
Heyward started 120 of the Braves’ 129 games before Saturday, on pace for 150-151 starts for the full season. He made a career-high 151 starts in 2012, then was limited to 96 starts last season because of two stints on the disabled list for an emergency appendectomy and surgery to repair a broken jaw after he was hit in the face by a pitch in August.
Gonzalez wanted to give Heyward a day off and figured Saturday would be a good one, since he was 0-for-10 against right-hander Mike Leake, the Reds’ scheduled starter. Emilio Bonifacio was in the lineup in right field and the leadoff spot Saturday against Leake, whom he had not faced in a regular-season game.
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