TOWER GROVE – By not playing at all or only seeing limited duty as a pinch hitter this weekend, Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones will almost certainly avoid what happened to him a year ago.

Barring one memorable weekend by Albert Pujols, that is.

Last season, Colorado’s Matt Holliday edged Jones on the final weekend for the National League batting title. The chase technically went down to game No. 163, in which the Rockies defeated San Diego for the wild-card tiebreaker. (Has that game ever officially ended, has the season? I mean, did Holliday ever really touch home plate to end that game and send the Rockies into the playoffs and assure he’d take the batting title?) This season, Jones has an inflamed right shoulder, a discomfort that has limited him to pinch hit duty and left his .365 batting bulletproof from Albert Pujols’ threat. 

Pujols, at .353, enters a weekend series sure to get plenty of playing time and needing to scale 13 points in average to clip Jones at the wire.

“He’s capable of getting three, four hits a day times three,” manager Tony La Russa said Thursday. “I don’t think that’s what he’s playing for. He’s had a monster season.”

Some perspective on the chase comes in the raw numbers — beware, math ahead — which reveal just what it would take to catch or surpass Jones. If Jones is limited to pinch-hit duty this weekend in Houston, here is what a few results could do to his batting average:

3-for-3 … equals … .370

2-for-3 … equals … .367

1-for-3 … equals … .365

0-for-3 … equals … .363

For comparison, say Pujols does have a few three-hit games in his bat for this weekend, here is what some outrageous performances against the Reds would do for his average:

12-for-12 … equals … .368

10-for-12 … equals … .364

10-for-10 … equals … .366

8-for-10 … equals … .362

Pujols is swinging for a batting title that would add a triple-crown jewel to his MVP candidacy, one that appears to be gaining momentum on a grassroots level, if not a East Coast level. A title would be Pujols’ second batting title of his career. A title for Jones would be the first of his Hall of Fame career, and it could come loaded with additional history. It would be the first Brave to win a title since Terry Pendleton in 1991. Jones could also reset a record held by Mickey Mantle.

In 1957, Mantle hit .365, the highest average for a switch hitter. Jones is more likely to catch Mantle than Pujols is to catch Jones.

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CHIPPER JONES - .3653 (160-for-438)
vs. Houston Astros, at Minute Maid Park

Career vs. Astros: .332 (123-for-397)

2008 vs. Astros: .385 (5-for-13)

Career at Minute Maid: .416 (42-for-101)

2008 on the road: .327 (67-for-205)

Career vs. Brian Moehler, Friday: 5-for-16 (.313)

Career vs. Brandon Backe, Saturday: 3-for-8 (.375)

Career vs. Wandy Rodriguez, Sunday: 4-for-7 (.571)

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ALBERT PUJOLS - .3534 (182-for-515)
vs. Cincinnati Reds, at Busch Stadium

Career vs. Reds: .363 (170-for-468)

2008 vs. Reds: .316 (12-for-38)

Career at Busch III: .334 (221 games)

2008 at home: .362 (88-for-243)

Career vs. Bronson Arroyo, Friday: 10-for-39 (.256) 

Career vs. Aaron Harang, Saturday: 14-for-43 (.326)

Career vs. Adam Pettyjohn, Sunday: 0-0 (.—) But .405 (62-for-153) vs. lefties in 2008.

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THIS AFTERNOON THE LAST CARDINALS NEWSLETTER of the regular-season will be shipped out to subscribers. But just because the season is ending doesn’t mean the online reportage is. The blog, as has been the case since 2005, will continue through the winter. We are planning to continue the newsletter and are in the process of brainstorming the best and most useful content in it. Now taking suggestions.(Subscribe here.)  And, there is also Bird Land at Facebook, which will continue with its discussions and its posted items.

The season is about over. The coverage is not.

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