Pittsburgh — Nine games into his career, Braves rookie Jordan Schafer has already experienced compressed versions of highs and lows that young hitters frequently face in the major leagues.

The 22-year-old center fielder was 1-for-15 with 10 strikeouts in the past four games before Friday, after going 8-for-19 with two doubles and two home runs in the first five games.

He believed he knew why after going over videotape and talking to hitting coach Terry Pendleton.

“Just stop trying to hit the ball 800 feet, and stop trying to pull the ball,” Schafer said before Friday’s series opener against the Pirates. “I got [carried away] because I hit two bombs, and stopped being myself.

“Today, I just tried to hit line drives to the shortstop [in batting practice]. Get me back on track.”