Atlanta Braves’ Chipper Jones, left, runs to first base after hitting a single to score Michael Bourn, right, in the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, in Atlanta.ATLANTA – Every morning that Chipper Jones rises from bed, his 40-year-old, surgically repaired body tells him it’s time to retire.
But the Atlanta Braves’ boxscores keep arguing that the third baseman is better than ever.
In a game that may have been far more important to the Braves emotionally than in the NL East standings, Jones’ RBI single in the bottom of the third inning gave the home team a lead it would never relinquish in topping the division-leading Washington Nationals 5-1 Sunday night.
“We’re kind of showing signs of some offense,” said manager Fredi Gonzalez. “This team continues to have great resilency.”
Even a cool and steady rain over the final five innings couldn’t dampen the spirits of 29,094 Braves fans as they watched their team sweep the Nats in a series for the first time since 2009 and pulling within 5.5 games of them in the East.