Braves hoping Inciarte, Aybar can be table-setters Freeman has lacked
ATLANTA -- It has, at times, been painfully obvious what the Braves offense has lacked since Freddie Freeman became the primary No. 3 hitter: protection for their two-time All-Star.
They believe they have found solutions with center fielder Ender Inciarte at leadoff and shortstop Erick Aybar hitting second.
"I know what we have," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said before Monday's season opener against the Nationals. "We have a center fielder that was really exciting to watch ... (Aybar's) a professional hitter. He knows what he has to do."
The table-setters provided some chances for Freeman, but he was unable to capitalize int he Braves' 4-3 loss to the National in 10 innings.
Inciarte flied out and Aybar grounded out in their first at-bats, leaving no one on as Freeman connected off Max Scherzer for a home run. Then, in the bottom of the 10th, Inciarte struck out swinging and Aybar grounded out to end the game with Freeman in the on-deck circle.
When they did In the sixth inning Aybar hit a one-out single only to have Freeman pop out to third baseman Anthony Rendon. In the eighth, Freeman had Inciarte at first and Jeff Francoeur at second with two, but was largely pitched around before he was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
The final Opening Day at Turner Field included a continuation of Freeman feasting on Washington pitching, as he's .439/.496/.693 against them since 2014, but that homer only underscored the problem that has plagued the Braves since the departures of Michael Bourn and Martin Prado after the 2012 season.
The past three years the Braves have used 12 different players at leadoff in 10 or more games and 12 at second in 11-plus. Only three of those hitters have produced an on-base percentage over .343 (Nick Markakis and Jason Heyward at .379 and .358, respectively, at leadoff; and Justin Upton with a .377 OBP in second).
This spring, Inciarte and Aybar gave glimpses of why Gonzalez and Braves brass are so high on them in these spots, with the CF posting a .365 OBP in 52 at-bats, while Aybar was at .313 in 61 ABs.
"We're going to try to be energetic, try to get on base and put some pressure on the other team and try to score some runs," Inciarte said of their role. "We have guys that know how to bring runners in. We can't steal first, so we've got to do our best to get on base for them."
Aybar and Inciarte may help to change the limited chances over the past three seasons, but in their first regular-season action together, Freeman's damage came with no one on.
The last year that the Braves had Bourn and Prado, Freeman delivered six of his eight home runs hitting third and just two of them were solo shots. In the three-plus years after they left, he's hit 43 home runs at the No. 3 spot and 22 of them have come with no one on base.
Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney and Facebook. His book, 'Tales from the Atlanta Braves Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Braves Stories Ever Told,' comes out April 12, 2016., and 'The Heisman Trophy: The Story of an American Icon and Its Winners' will be released Nov. 1, 2016.
