ATLANTA -- It's safe to say Chipper Jones and John Smoltz haven't exactly had peaceful rides home from Turner Field over the course of the past two days. Via their car radios, they've come to find that they are in a war of words that has nearly left Smoltz speechless.

"I don't know what everybody is talking about," Smoltz said after hearing Jones' postgame comments during his drive home after Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Tigers. "There are so many implied comments out there. I don't even know why I have to respond to this."

While driving home after missing Friday's series-opening loss due to discomfort in his right groin region, Jones heard Smoltz's postgame comments and, like many media members, gained the sense that his teammate was questioning his commitment to playing through injuries.

"When I heard it, I wanted to pull over and puke," said Jones, who returned to the lineup on Saturday and delivered a fourth-inning homer off Justin Verlander that ended a drought of 31 consecutive scoreless innings for the Braves.

Though never directly asked about Jones, Smoltz mentioned the veteran third baseman numerous times during his postgame session. At one point he said: "I'm on the mound busting it just as hard as I can. We all could wish we were feeling better. But that's just the way it is."

While Smoltz, who has made his past three starts with some tightness in his right shoulder, contends that he was simply telling his teammates that they were going to have to right things with or without their veteran third baseman, Jones felt there was definite meaning behind those words.

"You guys interviewed him [Friday] night, how did ya'll take it?" Jones said to a group of reporters. "I'd be stupid if I didn't take it the same way. I'm going to play the rest of the games this year and somebody that I know better not miss a start."

Smoltz, who at 40 years old remains one of the game's best starting pitchers, heard these comments on the radio and soon after called MLB.com to deliver his side of the story. Throughout the phone conversation, it was apparent that he didn't want to prolong this verbal war that he genuinely doesn't believe should have started.

Jones said that he and Smoltz, who first became teammates in Atlanta during the 1993 season, didn't speak on Saturday.

"I've got nothing to say to him," Jones said. "He made his point through the media and I'm going to make my point through the media. If he doesn't want to do it man-to-man, then fine."

Jones said he felt some discomfort during Saturday's game. In fact, he says he nearly fell over while taking the two swings that preceded his opposite-field homer off Verlander.

Despite being the man who put an end to his team's long scoring drought, Jones didn't think his presence back in the lineup did anything to change the frustrations currently felt by the Braves, who had been shut out three straight games heading into Saturday, and four times since Jones came off the disabled list on June 13.

"We still lost," said Jones. "We got shut out three times when I was in the lineup before [Friday]. When it's going south, it's going south. Right now, it doesn't matter who is in there. We just can't get the hit at the right time."

Multiple times while Jones has been hurt over the past two seasons, Smoltz has made a point to stress the importance of him being in the lineup. Smoltz says his comments on Friday were supposed to let his teammates know that they couldn't just wait around for him to come back this time.

Unfortunately, like many other people, Jones heard the message and deciphered something different.