MIAMI (AP) - Atlanta slugger Chipper Jones and ace Tim Hudson left Wednesday night's game against Florida with injuries, a pair of blows to the Braves' already slim playoff hopes.
Jones strained his left hamstring running out a ground ball in the fourth inning, and Hudson departed after throwing only 68 pitches because of tightness in his right elbow.Hudson (11-7) pitched six shutout innings for the Braves, who are fourth in the NL East. He blamed the tender elbow on the eight to 10 splitters he threw and said he expects to make his next start as scheduled.
"I don't foresee it being that big of a deal," he said. "It doesn't feel too bad. It just feels like tight muscles."
Jones said he hopes to avoid the disabled list but may miss the start of an important series against division co-leader Philadelphia beginning Friday.
"It's sore right now," he said. "Hopefully it feels a lot better and I'll be able to get in there in a couple of days. As of right now it doesn't look good."
Jones grabbed the back of his thigh after crossing first base in the fourth. A trainer came out to check on him and, after about a minute, Jones limped slowly to the dugout.
He went 0-for-2 with an RBI and a walk, dropping his major league-leading average to .369.
Jones has been hampered by right thigh, groin and back injuries this season, but hasn't been on the disabled list. He has 18 homers and 55 RBIs, and came into the game second in the majors in on-base percentage and fourth in slugging.
