As promised, more on Chipper Jones' 300th career home run! 10 years in the making! :D
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SAN DIEGO -- It's beginning to look like John Smoltz's prediction will come true. With every passing day, Chipper Jones is looking like he might indeed be the Braves' most valuable player in the season's second half.
In fact, while homering in each of his past four games, Jones is beginning to look like he did when he powered his way to the National League MVP award in 1999.
Jones continued his recent long-ball assault by drilling his 300th career homer and Smoltz bent but didn't break in the Braves' 5-4 win over the Padres at PETCO Park on Monday night.
"It's a cool milestone," Jones said. "[Hitting No.] 200 was awfully special, and 300 is equally as special. Hopefully, I can stay healthy enough to shoot for 400. I can't stand too many more years like this year. It's been a tough year on me physically. But, hopefully, those woes are behind me."
While the Padres' new stadium hasn't exactly introduced itself as being offensively friendly, the Braves' biggest power threats found the park to be at least somewhat accommodating. Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones and J.D. Drew each went deep, marking the first time this year that the trio had done so in the same game.
Drew, who missed Sunday's game with a strained right quadriceps muscle, provided the decisive two-run homer off Blaine Neal in the seventh inning. His 27th homer of the season was his third in the past five games.
"Andruw and I aren't having typical Andruw and Chipper years," said Chipper Jones, whose long early-season battle with his right hamstring has plagued him all year. "J.D. has had an awesome year. I dare say I think you might see it happen a time or two again the rest of the season. I think we're all starting to swing the bat pretty well."
During Saturday's win over the Cardinals, the Jones boys homered in the same game together for the first time this year. At Padres starter Sterling Hitchcock's expense, they hit their 20th homers of this season on the same day.
The power production proved necessary when the Padres dented a Braves 5-2 lead with a pair of runs in the eighth inning. But Smoltz, who allowed two of the runners he inherited with two outs in the eighth to score on singles, persevered and tossed a scoreless ninth to record his 30th save.
"That's a big win," said Mike Hampton, who allowed three earned runs in seven-plus innings, lifting his record above .500 for the first time this year (9-8). "Everybody played a part with hitting, pitching and defense. It was a good win for us."
Chipper Jones became the 101st player in Major League history to reach the 300-career homer mark with a solo shot to begin the third inning against Hitchcock.
The long ball also enabled the Braves third baseman to move past the Yankees' Ruben Sierra and into fifth place on the all-time homers list for switch-hitters. With 51 more homers, he'll surpass Chilli Davis and have only Mickey Mantle (534) and Eddie Murray (504) ahead of him.
-guys that I tried to emulate growing up as a switch-hitter were Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray," Chipper Jones said. "If one day, I'm considered one of the four or five best switch-hitters to ever play the game, then I'll be extremely happy."
When Chipper Jones headed into the All-Star break with a .214 batting average, Smoltz made his prediction that his longtime teammate would turn things around in a big way. With a .296 batting average and eight homers since the break, the Braves third baseman has at least turned his season around.
"Everybody know how good of a hitter he is," Hampton said. "Things haven't gone his way in the first half. But him being healthy and happy being back at third base, that's what we expect. It's tough to expect that. But he's our guy. He's our horse."
Chipper Jones, whose only previous streak of homering in four consecutive games came July 6-9, 1999, doesn't regard his teammates' expectations as a burden.
"I expect it of myself," he said. "I expected to be doing a lot more this year than I have. Unfortunately, injuries haven't allowed me to get into a groove. But as the old adage goes, 'It's always better late than never.' It's good to be contributing on a daily basis. Hopefully, it will continue for a couple of months."
Moments after Andruw Jones began the Braves' two-run second inning with a 407-foot solo shot, Hampton contributed his third RBI of the season with a double off the top of the left-field wall that scored Eli Marrero.
"That's the fun thing about what pitchers get to do," said Hampton, a five-time Silver Slugger Award winner, who is hitting .140 this year. "We get to act like hitters for three or four at-bats a game and hopefully we contribute sometime."
After walking Khalil Greene to begin the eighth, Hampton was replaced with Chris Reitsma, who allowed a single before retiring the next two batters. Smoltz then entered and allowed consecutive RBI singles to Brian Giles and Ryan Klesko. But the Braves closer stopped the bleeding by getting Jay Payton to look at strike three to end the threat.
"It was a good win for us," Hampton said. "The guys really buckled down."
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Our Jaret pitches tonight! Wooo-hooo-ah!!!!!!! :D Gotta love it! Yee-haw! :D
I work tonight at 4 so wish me luck ona nice night! :D
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jules