Bour returns, eager to resume his hitting surge
ATLANTA — Unlike last year when Justin Bour injured an ankle, his latest detour to the disabled list was quick.
And as the power-hitting first baseman pointed out Friday, his absencewas relatively painless for the Miami Marlins due to the yeoman’s fill-in job by Tyler Moore.
Bour was back in the lineup batting sixth as the Marlins opened a threegame series in their first visit to the Braves’ new SunTrust Field. Tomas Telis was optioned back to Triple-A New Orleans.
“The only thing I Iooked at was how well everyone stepped up. When I left it wasn’t like we lost much. [Moore] did a great job and the team kept battling, kept hitting. That’s one good thing I can take fromit,” Bour said.
When Bour bruised his left ankle rounding first base on June 3 he had been one of the hottest hitters in the National League during a month-long surge. That had him tied for the NL lead in homers with 16 and team lead in RBI with 40, along with posting a .295/.369/.589 slash line.
In addition to considering how his absence would impact the Marlins in the short term, the greater concern was whether Bour could avoid a repeat of the long, slow recovery that kept him out for two months last season with a high sprain of his right ankle.
As it turned out, Bour was back as soon as eligible to return to active duty.
“We did the right thing, got it in the boot rightway, allowed it time to heal and the progression back into playing again went on schedule, so here we are,” Bour said. “Happy to be back and happy to be ready to help the team.”
And the Marlins’ offense kept chugging with an average of 7.3 runs per game in his absence. Moore did his part in holding up production at first base by batting .361 (13 for 36) with four doubles, four home runs and12 RBI in 10 starts in place of Bour.
Moore’s RBI total since June 4was tied for sixth in the major leagues.
“He swung the bat good, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “I think it will help him coming off the bench that he’s had some at-bats. He’s got his timing.
“It’s always good for guys to be able to put a bunch of at-bats together, so he should be feeling pretty good. And we got a really good look at him.”
Considering how quickly he returned, the Marlins were confident Bour would be able to pick up where he left off with minimal rust. He played in one rehab game with High-A Jupiter on Wednesday, going 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI.
But making sure Bour was healthy enough to return to playing every day was the paramount objective.
“I think he has those same thoughts that he doesn’t want to miss two months of the season [again],” Mattingly said. “I thought we were careful with it and he bounced back quickly. Two off-days in there really limited the number of games he missed.”
Injury updates
Infielders Martin Prado (hamstring) and Adeiny Hechavarria (oblique) began rehab assignments Friday for Double-A Jacksonville. Both are on the DL for the second time this season due to recurring injuries. Mattingly said both are scheduled to play about seven rehab games.
Prado initially hurt his right hamstring in March during the World Baseball Classic. He came back and played 17 games before reinjuring the hamstring. He hasn’t played since May 7.
“Just got to get him going again, just to get his timing back. We’re fairly comfortable that he’s all the way back health-wise. We’ve been taking our time with him, being cautious,” Mattingly said of Prado, adding, “You never know with hamstrings. They seem to hang around.”
Meanwhile, Mattingly said left-hander Justin Nicolino is ready to return from a DL stint with a blister and will be slotted into the starting rotation during next week’s threegame series with Washington.
Newpark
In preparing for their first game at SunTrust Park, Mattingly said the main focus was on the nuances of the outfield characteristics.
“You’ve got the brick [in right field] on top of the padding where the ball can bounce and come back hard. Getting used to the background. Other than it gets narrowed down to a baseball game once you get into it,” Mattingly said.