To look at the batting average, Dan Uggla’s trajectory hasn’t changed much since he underwent laser eye surgery. Entering Saturday night, Uggla was 4-for-27 (.148) with no extra-base hits or RBIs since he came off the disabled list on Aug. 28, leaving his season batting average at .183.
But from the inside looking out, Uggla said he’s much better off.
“I’m seeing the ball way better,” Uggla said. “And l feel like I’m back on time. I’ve got all the confidence in the world that I’m going to hit the ball hard. I know that I’ve still got to work on some things as far as just everything flowing together, but I feel 10 times better than what I did.”
One area that has shown up is in strikeouts. Uggla struck out seven times in the first 35 plate appearances since his return and four of those came in his first two games back against the Indians, when he was admittedly anxious.
When Uggla underwent his eye surgery Aug. 16, he was averaging a strikeout every 3.15 at-bats. Since, he struck out once every five at-bats.
“That’s the biggest thing for me,” said Uggla, who is eighth in the majors with 153 strikeouts. “I’ve been battling that all season and now I’m feeling confident out there that I’m going to hit the ball hard somewhere and get a hit. That doesn’t even like enter my mind. You know, ‘Oh man, I need to put the ball in play this time.’ One less thing to worry about. I’m still going to strike out but hopefully not at the rate I was doing it.”
Uggla said he now feels like he’s just missing pitches when he fouls off or pops up.
“That’s a good sign,” Uggla said. “This is what I needed to do in September, is get my confidence back, get comfortable in the box again, take good swings, good aggressive swings, and I’ve done that so far.”
He set no better example than Wednesday in the fifth inning against Mets right-hander Dillon Gee. He fouled off a 1-2 slider, a pitch he had struggled to see all season, before singling to left field on the next pitch.
“I fouled off a front-door slider that I couldn’t even pull the trigger on because I would freeze on it earlier,” Uggla said.
Schafer sits: Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez had B.J. Upton batting leadoff Saturday against right-hander Kyle Kendrick and Jordan Schafer on the bench, an indication that he's not inclined to look at the situation in center field and/or the leadoff hitter as a platoon spot anymore.
Upton has shown signs of improvement, hitting safely in eight of his previous 12 games entering Saturday.
Schafer went 4-for-5 with three stolen bases Monday before leaving with a lower back strain. He suffered a quadriceps contusion after fouling a ball off his leg Wednesday, but after the off-day Thursday, he has recovered.
“I think Schafe is a valuable piece and a valuable player and if we play him like we did April, May and half of June, I think he’ll be fine,” said Gonzalez, referring to a period when Schafer played more in a part-time role.
When asked about not having Schafer leading off Saturday, Gonzalez said he first wanted to keep getting at-bats for Evan Gattis, who started in left field against Kendrick. Gattis had played only three games since his return from Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.
“We’ve got to find out what Gattis can do,” Gonzalez said. “Just get him going again, get him some at-bats.”
Gonzalez also pointed out Kendrick’s splits: right-handers were hitting .319 againt him and left-handers .245. Gonzalez did say Schafer should get a start or two in the upcoming four-game series in Miami.
Facing Fernandez: Jose Fernandez is 4 1/3 innings shy of the 170-inning limit the Marlins have set for him, meaning the dynamic right-hander will get one more start this season against the Braves on Wednesday in Miami against Mike Minor.
“That’s OK,” Gonzalez said, about an hour after learning of the Marlins’ rotation. “Let’s face him.”
Fernandez faced Julio Teheran and the Braves on Aug. 30, losing 2-1 but only allowing three hits, including a two-run Freddie Freeman homer. Fernandez pitched seven one-hit innings on Friday night, allowing only an infield hit, and helped the Braves by defeating the Nationals 7-0.
“Had a hell of a game (Friday),” Gonzalez said. “He likes to compete. He’s got pretty good stuff too, which makes it easier to compete. You got 97 (mph) in your back pocket any time you want it.”
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