NewsChipper on verge of historical feat
Atlanta (82-70) at Washington (52-100), 7:05 p.m. ET
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
09/24/09 12:29 AM ET
NEW YORK -- Chipper Jones has endured one of the most frustrating seasons of his life. But the Braves third baseman still finds himself just three homers shy of accomplishing something never done before in Major League history. Jones and Eddie Mathews, who spent the majority of his Hall of Fame career playing third base for the Braves, currently stand as the only Major Leaguers to ever begin their careers with 14 consecutive 20-homer seasons. With 10 games remaining, Jones finds himself three homers shy of taking sole possession of this record. In a normal season, this might seem to be a feasible accomplishment. But it has taken the Braves third baseman 36 games to total his past three homers. "It would be great to do it because I'd like to end it on a good note," Jones said. "But if it doesn't happen, it's not the end of the world." After gaining a chance to rest on Thursday, Jones will continue his pursuit of this historic mark on Friday, when the Braves begin a three-game series against the Nationals at Nationals Park. Although he exited Wednesday night's win over the Mets with a stiff back, Jones is expected to be available throughout this weekend's series.The Braves have won 11 of their past 13 games and 12 of their past 15. Still, they find themselves four games behind the front-running Rockies in the National League Wild Card race.
It is somewhat remarkable that the Braves have provided themselves a chance to be in this position during a season when Jones' consistent offensive contributions vanished after the first week of June. During his first 48 games this season, Jones hit .335 with eight homers and a 1.017 OPS. Entering Wednesday, the 37-year-old third baseman had endured an 84-game stretch that included a .233 batting average, nine homers and a .726 OPS. Jones' roughest stretch occurred from Aug. 16-Sept. 11. During this 24-game span, he hit .115 with two extra-base hits (a double and a homer). During his past eight games, Jones has hit .318 (7-for-22) and also collected two extra-base hits (a double and a homer). "Being able to contribute again the last couple of days almost makes the game fun again," said Jones, who earlier this month said that his frustrations had reached a point where he was already contemplating walking away from the final two years of his contract if he were to struggle again during the 2010 season. Pitching matchupATL: RHP Javier Vazquez (14-9, 2.91 ERA)
This will be the first of Vazquez's final three chances to gain the two wins he'd need to match the career-best win total that he set in 2001. The veteran right-hander has gone 3-0 and surrendered just two earned runs in the 23 innings that he's completed during his past three starts. His latest stellar effort came on Saturday, when he limited the Phillies to three hits in seven scoreless innings. This will be his first start against the Nationals since 2005. WSH: LHP John Lannan (9-12, 4.07 ERA)
On Saturday, right fielder Ian Desmond made a costly mistake in the seventh inning and it would spoil a great outing by John Lannan, who found himself in a pitchers' duel with former Nationals hurler Tim Redding. Lannan lasted seven innings and gave up three runs on five hits. He threw just 74 pitches and should have allowed fewer than the three runs he gave up. Tidbits
The Braves have gone 5-0 against the Nationals at home this year and 2-4 on the road. They've won just four of the 14 games played at Nationals Park since it opened last year. ... Adam Dunn has one hit and five strikeouts in 12 career at-bats against Vazquez. ... Former Nationals outfielder Ryan Church has hit .385 with two homers in his career against Lannan. ... Lannan issued four walks and allowed five earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings against the Braves on Aug. 11. ... Brian McCann exited Tuesday night's game with a bruised left hand, but felt strong enough to return to the lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Mets. Tickets
Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio• Gameday
• Official game notes On television
• SPSO On radio
• 640 WGST, Project 9-6-1 Up next
• Saturday: Braves (Tommy Hanson, 10-4, 2.85) at Nationals (TBD), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Braves (Derek Lowe, 15-9, 4.55) at Nationals (TBD), 1:35 p.m. ET
• Monday: Braves (TBD) vs. Marlins (Anibal Sanchez, 3-7, 4.01), 7:00 p.m. ET
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
