ajc: Chipper struck in face by ball

...ball lands fair for double.

The (bad) hits just keep on coming for the Braves, who scratched Chipper Jones from the lineup Friday night after he was hit in the face by a ball during batting practice.

The major league hitting leader was struck beneath the left eye by a ball he hit that caromed off the top bar at the front of the batting cage. Jones, who has a remarkable .414 average and .500 on-base percentage, was assisted to the clubhouse after the incident near the end of batting practice.

He was spotted 15 minutes later watching video of Angels pitchers in the clubhouse and had intended to play. But 10 minutes after that he was scratched from the lineup.

He was later taken to a nearby hospital for a CT scan. The results were negative, and manager Bobby Cox said Jones would play Saturday.