NEW YORK (AP) -- Chipper Jones missed his third straight start for the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night because of a strained muscle on his right side.
The star third baseman said he felt pretty good after taking batting practice indoors before Atlanta's series finale against the New York Mets, adding that he might be able to play this weekend at Washington. His entire waist was wrapped, with a large ice pack on the right side.
The switch-hitting slugger said swinging left-handed felt better than right-handed.
Yunel Escobar started at third base again for the Braves, and manager Bobby Cox said Jones might be available off the bench.
Jones also sat out the first two games of the series against the NL East-leading Mets. He was a late scratch before Monday night's loss after hurting himself during batting practice.
Jones was hitting .330 with 25 home runs, 39 doubles and 87 RBIs. The Braves began the day five games behind front-running San Diego in the wild-card race with 17 to play.
Chipper Jones misses third straight start with strained muscle - MLB - Yahoo! Sports