After being in the lineup for 20 consecutive games to begin the season, Braves rookie Jason Heyward was on the bench for the first time Wednesday night against the Cardinals. Heyward leads major league rookies (and all Braves) with four homers and 16 RBIs, but was 1-for-20 with eight strikeouts over his past seven games, a slump that mirrored the Braves’ seven-game losing streak through Tuesday. He struck out looking at a called third strike with the bases loaded in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s 5-4 loss against the Cardinals, and afterward manager Bobby Cox said that Heyward was “taking way too many pitches” and falling behind in too many counts. Cox reiterated that Wednesday -– “He needs to be a little more aggressive; he knows it” — and said he wanted to give Heyward a day to rest a sore shin. He’s played with shin splints since late in spring training but never asked for a day off. http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2010/04/28/heyward-out-of-lineup-for-first-time/
