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AP
ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Atlanta Braves got quite a scare before their first game at Angel Stadium when major league batting leader Chipper Jones was scratched because of a bizarre batting practice accident.
Somehow, they still came up with enough offense to beat Jon Garland.
Gregor Blanco was 3-for-4 with two RBI singles and the Braves beat Los Angeles 5-2 on Friday night in their first meeting at the Big A. Jeff Francoeur and Omar Infante — Jones’ replacement at third base — had RBI doubles as part of Atlanta’s 15-hit assault.
“We’re a team, and it’s not always going to be Chipper Jones,” Blanco said. “Each day everybody tries to do something for the team. Tonight it was me and Infante and the bottom of the lineup. Tomorrow it will be somebody else.”
Jones, hitting .414 with 15 homers and 41 RBIs, fouled off a pitch while taking his last round of BP and the ball ricocheted off the crossbar at the top of the batting cage, striking him just under his left eye. The five-time All-Star suffered a contusion and was taken for a CT scan, which was negative. He returned to the clubhouse in the ninth inning.
“I didn’t know it was going to take three hours to get an X-ray,” Jones said. “They put me through all the tests, and I’m just experiencing a little blurred vision in close. Other than that, I’m fine.
“The first thing that flashed into my mind was when I was 9 or 10 years old, when I saw a kid hit a foul ball off his eye and he lost his eye. But it got me just below the eye. I’ve been sucker-punched a few times there, so I can take it. I hope that I don’t have a big old fat shiner tomorrow.”
Jones was eagerly anticipating this series against the AL West champions. The only time he ever played in this ballpark was during the 2006 World Baseball Classic.
“It’s a great place to play and a great place to hit,” Jones said after the game. “You want to play a good team like the Angels and kind of strut your stuff. You don’t get to play those guys every day, so we wanted to see how we stacked up against them.”
Manager Bobby Cox knew he had dodged a bullet with Jones, and said he would be back in the lineup Saturday night.
“He wanted to play, but the doctor wouldn’t let him,” Cox said. “When he came back, he said ‘I’m ready to pinch-hit if it goes extra innings.’ But with head injuries and eye injuries, you can’t do it. It’s got to be checked. But nothing’s broken, so he’s good to go tomorrow.”
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
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