Jones Ties Career Best With 5 RBI Game; Has Words About Moyer

Chipper Jones had another great game on Saturday night (May 5) in the Atlanta Braves 13-9 win over the Colorado Rockies as he drove in a season high five runs. The five RBI game matches Chipper’s career best.  

The Braves were down 6-0 to the Rockies before Jones really got them kickstarted. In the top of the fifth inning, Chipper doubled in pitcher Mike Minor for his first RBI of the night at Coors Field in Colorado. In the top of the sixth inning he drove in shortstop Tyler Pastornicky and pinch hitter Juan Francisco on a single to center for RBIs two and three. RBIs four and five came in the top half of the seventh inning when another single scored right fielder Jason Heyward and pinch hitter Martin Prado.

Despite, Jones’ career-tying game the thing that possibly stood out the most from Saturday’s game was a controversy that brewed between Jones and the Rockies 49-year old starting pitcher Jamie Moyer, who earlier this season became the oldest starting pitcher to win a game in baseball history. Moyer accused Jones of stealing signals.

After the game Jones mentioned that Moyer’s accusation of him stealing signals “woke up a sleeping giant” and led to the Braves comeback after starting the game down 6-0 to the Rockies.

Jones told MLB.com: “He accused me of relaying a sign down 6-2 with a 3-0 count to Brian McCann. I have never relayed a sign to anyone while I’m on second base. You question our integrity, that’s wrong. I’ve never accused him of doctoring a baseball. I’ve never accused him of over-milligraming, nothing. That’s (garbage) and he woke us up. I didn’t see any signs on the 900-foot homers that were hit.”

Jones also told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s David O’Brien on Sunday: “I told (Todd) Helton and Tulo (Troy Tulowitzki) to tell him he could meet me in the tunnel to discuss it if he’d like, and I never heard back.” I love that Chipper 

Jones still has that kind of fire at age 40 in his final season.

I really don’t get why Moyer and other players and baseball people view stealing signs as such a big deal/bad thing in the first place. Sign stealing should be viewed as a great strategy/skill and not breaking one of baseball’s unwritten rules. So, Moyer was essentially making a huge deal out of something that baseball folk need to desperately get over. 

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It is now less than five days before I get to go to Busch Stadium up in St. Louis to see the Braves take on the Cardinals. I desperately hope that Chipper Jones is in the lineup for Friday night's game.

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.

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.

Odd Feeling Not Having Chipper in Braves Opening Day Lineup

Opening Day across the major leagues today just won’t seem as special for this Atlanta Braves fan as it has for the last 15 seasons. Because for the first time since 1996 and for only the second time in his career Chipper Jones will not be in the Braves Opening Day lineup.

Chipper will start the season on the DL

The aging slugger is beginning the season on the disabled list after having arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Good news though is that he’s expected to be ready by the Braves home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, April 13.

I guess Chipper not being in the lineup for today’s game doesn’t really bother me all that much for personal reasons, because the game is on at noon while I’ll be at work. My being at work also doesn’t bother me that much because I wouldn’t get to see the game anyway as it’s not on TV here in Arkansas. I probably won’t see a Braves game this season until their second series of the year next week in Houston when they play the Astros and that’s only because the Astros are a “local” team and likely to have a game or two on Fox Sports Southwest.

Today when the Braves take the field against the New York Mets the Braves will be in great hands with Martin Prado slotted in at third base. Prado is going to be the Braves primary left fielder this season, but is probably better acclimated to third base. While Prado is filling in for the injured Jones the Braves will platoon veterans Matt Diaz and Eric Hinske in left field. I really hate to say this, because Jones has been a long favorite of mine (hence the entire reason for this blog), but the Braves probably won’t be hindered too much with Prado at third and Diaz/Hinske sharing left.

Last time Chipper Jones wasn’t in the starting lineup for the Braves was his second season in the big leagues in 1996. Mike Mordecai, a longtime MLB backup, filled in at third for Jones that day.

Here was the complete Opening Day lineup from 1996:

1. Marquis Grissom - SS

2. Jeff Blauser - SS

3. David Justice - RF

4. Fred McGriff – 1B

5. Ryan Klesko - LF

6. Javy Lopez - C

7. Mark Lemke – 2B

8. Mike Mordecai – 3B

9. Greg Maddux - P  

There isn’t a single player from that Opening Day lineup still active in the Major Leagues.

Mike Mordecai filled in for Chipper in 1996 lineup.

That day Mike Mordecai went 0-for-4 in a 10-8 win over the San Francisco Giants at Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium, the last Opening Day at the stadium before the Braves moved to Turner Field in 1997. Mordecai would play 12 seasons in the big leagues, all as a bench player, for the Braves, Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins. His last game came in the 2005 season with the Marlins at age 38. For his career Mordecai hit .244 with 24 home runs and 132 RBI.

While Chipper Jones should be a surefire first ballot hall of famer that day and his 1996 Opening Day replacement will mostly be forgotten in time there is one thing Mordecai has over Jones (that just doesn’t seem right) … one more World Series ring. Jones and Mordecai both won rings with the Braves in 1995 (Jones’ rookie season), but Mordecai would win a second World Series ring as a member of the surprising Florida Marlins 2003 team that upset the New York Yankees.

The most unfortunate thing about Jones not being able to go on Opening Day today is knowing that this was going to be his final Opening Day. There’s always a Holiday-like feeling to Opening Day and today that feeling just really isn’t there.