Braves center fielder Nate McLouth went on the disabled list on May 23, with youngster Jordan Schafer recalled to take his place. Schafer immediately took over as the new regular in center, and Friday night he made his ninth consecutive start at the position. In the top of the fifth, Schafer came up against Jon Niese and tried to bunt. Instead, he did this:
Schafer stayed down for some time before leaving the game, although he did walk off under his own power. He has since been taken to an area hospital for x-rays of his face. There's no word yet on how badly he's injured.
Schafer owns a .235 average on the year, with more walks than strikeouts. After he came out, Joe Mather moved to center from right and Eric Hinske came in. Mather isn't exactly the classic center fielder type, but then third-stringers usually aren't. Fredi Sanchez might start feeling a little desperate.