Chipper Drives Home Winning Run in Final Dodgers Stadium At-Bat

In what will likely be his final bat ever at Dodger Stadium (barring both the Braves and Dodgers making the playoffs) on Wednesday night (April 25), Chipper Jones drove in the go ahead and what would prove to be the game-winning run (shortstop Jack Wilson) on a RBI single off of Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Javy Guerra.

To see Chipper’s game-winning hit click: HERE

The game-winning single for Jones capped off a series, in which he played in two of the team’s three games and hit 2-for-7 with a home run and two RBI.

Jones is now hitting .278 on the season with three home runs and 10 RBI.

The Braves are now 12-7 after the win over the Dodgers in which they took the series 2-1. Despite being one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, if not the hottest, the Braves still trail the young and surprising Washington Nationals in the National League East Division by 2.5 games. However, the Braves biggest threats to win the division are the Philadelphia Phillies, who are three games behind them in the standings, and the Miami Marlins, who are four games behind them in the standings.

Jonny Venters got the win for the Braves in relief, but starting pitcher Brandon Beachy had another great game. Despite giving up two earned runs, Beachy’s ERA in the first month of the season is 1.05. His ERA was a Major League Baseball best 0.39 coming into tonight’s game.

In non-Chipper Jones and non-Atlanta Braves related news, New York Yankees future hall of famer Derek Jeter is off to a white hot start this season hitting .416, with 30 hits in the Yanks first 16 games of the season. As great as Derek Jeter has been in his career he's never won a batting title ... could we be seeing him win one at age 39? Wrapping things back around to Chipper Jones, the Braves slugger knows a thing or two about winning batting titles after the age of 35. Jones won his batting title in 2008 when he hit .364 at the age of 36.

Chipper Blasts Bomb on 40th Birthday Against Dodgers

Braves legend Chipper Jones celebrated his 40thbirthday in grand fashion with a solo home run to get the Braves going in the top of the fifth inning on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Dodgers Stadium.

The home run came off of Dodgers starting pitcher Aaron Harang with the Braves down 2-0 to the Dodgers at the time. The Braves would tie the game 2-2 later in the fifth. The game would end up going into the ninth inning tied at 3, after each team scored one more time. In the ninth, Braves left fielder Martin Prado drove in shortstop Tyler Pastornicky for the go ahead and eventual winning run with a triple over the heard of Dodgers center fielder and current National League MVP frontrunner Matt Kemp.

Jones’ birthday blast is the fifth homer for the veteran on his birthday in 13 games. The homer was also his 13^th as a visitor at Dodgers Stadium. Chipper’s five career dingers on his birthday tie him for the active lead with New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and Colorado Rockies vet Todd Helton. Jones also homered on his 24^th birthday, twice on his 29^th birthday and on his 36^th birthday, according to the Miami Herald. He is now 21 for 49 on his day of birth.   

To see Chipper’s birthday blast click: HERE

Thanks to MLB.tv showing the Braves/Dodgers game as its free game of the day I was able to see Chipper Jones’ 40^th birthday. This game marked only the second Braves game I’ve seen so far this season on TV (I saw the Braves final game against the Astros in Houston earlier in the season). Big kudos to MLB.com and MLB.tv for choosing Jones’ 40^th birthday game as the free game of the day. I’m sure it put a lot of smiles on Braves fans like me, who are out of Braves territory and don’t get to see many of their games.

Chipper’s home run was his only hit of the game as he went 1-for-3 against Harang and was walked in the top of the eighth inning by Dodgers reliever Kenley Jansen. In the top of the 6^th inning, Jones had a likely RBI single taken away from him when his hit basically caught Harang, who was able to turn a 1-6-3 double play out of it.

The Braves are now 11-2 in Chipper's birthday games. According to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution’s David O’Brien, Chipper became the fifth player to homer on his 40th birthday in Major League Baseball history on Tuesday night in L.A.

Despite playing in less than half as many games as many of his teammates, Jones is tied for the team lead in home runs with three. Catcher Brian McCann, second baseman Dan Uggla, first baseman Freddie Freeman and Chipper’s frequent replacement at third base Juan Francisco all have three bombs on the season, as well. Jones’ nine RBI on the season are tied with McCann and Uggla on the team, behind Freeman’s 15 and Prado’s 11. Jones is now hitting .276 on the season.

Chipper’s first home run at Dodgers Stadium came off of Carlos Perez on April 19, 1999. The only pitcher he’s rounded the bases off of more than once at Dodgers Stadium was Darren Dreifort, also in 1999.

Should Jones crack the Braves lineup in tomorrow night’s game it’ll be his last at Dodgers Stadium. Veteran pitcher Ted Lilly will take the mound for the Dodgers. Jones is 3-for-13 (.231) in his career against Lilly with no homers and three RBI.

Chipper to Receive Rest; Career #s Against Arizona

The Atlanta Braves are currently riding high on a five-game win streak and are 10-1 since opening the season on a four game losing streak. Take away those first four games and the Braves are the best team in baseball right now.

In today’s 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chipper Jones went 1-for-3 with an RBI single, giving him eight RBI on the year in only eight games. Jones is currently batting a solid .286. His eight RBI are good enough for third on the team behind Freddie Freeman’s 13 and Brian McCann’s nine.

Jones has missed almost half of the season thus far, playing in only eight of the team’s 15 games thus far due to his sore knee. Jones had to miss the series opener against the Diamondbacks on Thursday after swelling of the knee during the long flight from Atlanta to Phoenix to play the D‘Backs.

This brings up an unfortunate point in that Jones’ knee on flights, which of course there are plenty of during the season, could cause him to miss quite a few series openers (hopefully not the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 11, for which I have tickets to).

Juan Francisco, who has hit two home runs in replacement of Jones, has been getting much of the playing time at third base when Chipper is not in the lineup. In addition to Francisco’s two homers this season he’s batting .292 with six RBI. Experts say that Francisco could see as many as 250 at-bats this season in replace of Jones.

According to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez, the Braves will give Chipper the day off on Sunday for the final game against the Diamondbacks. So, barring a pinch hit appearance, Saturday will have been Jones’ final game at Arizona’s Chase Field in his career. Sanchez reports that Jones will likely also be given rest on Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium and will next play on Tuesday, which happens to be Chipper’s 40^th birthday.

It’s interesting to note that Chipper has been in baseball three years longer than the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. Jones’ rookie season was 1995. The Diamondbacks inaugural season was 1998. In 96 career games against the Diamondbacks, Jones has hit around .325 with 15 homers and 62 RBI. Jones hit six of his 15 career homers off the Diamondbacks off of future hall of fame pitcher Randy Johnson. Johnson is the only D’Backs pitcher that Jones has taken deep more than once.

This blog is dedicated to Chipper Jones’ final season in baseball and won’t feature too much talking on topics that don’t feature Jones, or at least the Atlanta Braves, but I must take this opportunity to congratulate Chicago White Sox pitcher Philip Humber on making baseball history by throwing the 21^st perfect game in baseball history on Saturday afternoon against the Seattle Mariners. I was able to see the final inning of Humber’s perfect game and let me tell you the final inning of a perfect game is among the most nerve-wracking things in sports you can ever be witness to.

Chipper's Homer Leads Braves to Sweep Brewers

If the first two weeks of the baseball season are any indicator for Chipper Jones in his final season then he might miss about a quarter of the season’s games, but he’s damn sure going to rake when he’s in the lineup.

The Braves played their ninth game of the season on Sunday, a 7-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers (who they swept) at Turner Field, but it marked just Jones’ third game of the season. 

Jones went 1-for-3 in the game with a pivotal three-run blast off of Brewers starter Chris Narveson in the third inning. Jones also drew two walks in the game. 

Chipper Jones is congratulated at home plate by Martin Prado after homering in the third inning.

Click HERE to see Chipper’s homer

The Braves are on a five game winning streak after starting the season on an atrocious four game losing streak. Atlanta is 3-0 with Jones in the lineup and only 2-4 without him.

As some of you may notice, Jones hit the home run not while wearing his usual (and sure to be retired) number 10 jersey, but a jersey sporting the number 42. The number 42 is retired across the sport, but brought out once a year on Jackie Robinson Day to salute the legendary Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947. We all know that Chipper doesn’t have too many more homers left in him, so it’s nice to see hit one while wearing such an iconic number.

I don't know this for sure, but I'd be willing to bet that this is Chipper's only career home run in a different jersey number than number 10. 

Jones is now hitting .417 on the season with two home runs and five RBI.  

Jones Misses Final Home Opener with Knee Swelling

Chipper Jones had to be scratched from the Atlanta Braves lineup for the Braves home opener on Friday night due to swelling in his recently surgically-repaired left knee. The knee had to be drained during Friday’s game and was said to have shown great improvement and flexibility almost immediately. Despite this, Jones would also miss the second game of the series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. 

According to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Jones had “45cc drained from his knee, the equivalent of about 1.5 ounces, and also received a pain-killing injection.”

Despite the fact that the Braves opened up the season 0-4 without Jones in the lineup against the Mets and Astros, the Braves didn’t struggle too much without him on Friday and Saturday as they beat the Brew Crew on both days. Jones hopes to be back in the Bravos lineup for the series finale on Sunday afternoon.

The biggest concern going forward would have to be whether or not this will happen frequently during the season and even possibly if further knee problems would force Chipper to cut his farewell season short. Jones is certainly going to need plenty of rest for his knee and possibly other injuries during the season (I hope to God he’s in the lineup for the Braves series opener in St. Louis against the Cardinals on Friday, May 11 because I have tickets). Braves fans might see usual starting leftfielder Martin Prado and recent acquisition from the Cincinnati Reds Juan Francisco in the lineup at third as much as they see Jones this 

season.

The biggest disappointment about this entire situation is that missing Friday’s home opener means that Chipper has missed the final home opener of his career. He previously missed the final opening day of his career the week before. I don’t know if this is something that he really thinks or cares about, but I know us fans certainly do.

Jones is currently batting .444 with four hits, a home run and two RBI this season in two games. Hopefully we’ll see him back in the lineup later this afternoon when the Braves face Chris Narveson and the Brewers.