"In the midst of his struggles a year ago, Chipper Jones said even he didn't know why manager Bobby Cox was still hitting him in his usual third spot. Here it is a year later, he's feeling good at the plate, he's getting healthy again, and he's batting sixth in the lineup for the first time since 1997.

Careful what you "wish" for?

"You've got a couple guys in the lineup that are swinging it real good, and you want to keep them up there," said Jones, who returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing a game with a sore left knee. "And I get it. ... We've got to go with what's working."

With the return of Brian McCann from the disabled list, manager Fredi Gonzalez wanted to keep both hot-hitting Dan Uggla (fourth) and Freddie Freeman (fifth) high in the order. He talked it over with Jones last week in Miami, giving him the courtesy of running it past him first.

"I said 'Hey, when Mac comes back, what do you think about [hitting sixth],'" Gonzalez said. "He goes 'I don't care. Hit me second if you want.'"

Gonzalez kidded Jones that if he wanted to hit second, he'd have to learn how to bunt. (Jones has three sacrifice bunts in 18 years in the majors.)"