Jones is happy to get first home run under his belt

ATLANTA -- That his first home run for the Dodgers came at the ballpark he used to call home was of little importance to Andruw Jones.

"It doesn't matter where it was," Jones said. "I just wanted to get one."

Jones' line-drive solo homer to left field in the second inning off Braves starter Chuck James was one of the few offensive highlights for the Dodgers in their 4-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on Saturday. Jones, who left the Braves this winter and signed a two-year, $36.2-million contract with the Dodgers, entered the game hitting only .167.

The pitch that he belted was a high 89-mph fastball that had so little on it that Manager Joe Torre thought it was a changeup. Referring to how he often roamed center field in this park with James on the mound, Jones said, "I saved him so many times. It was the one thing he could do for me."

When done rounding the bases and receiving a congratulatory high-five from Dodgers catcher Gary Bennett, Jones pointed to his family up in Braves pitcher John Smoltz's suite.

In that suite was his father, Henry, who trained him in his childhood to become a ballplayer. He said that he and his father talked about hitting on Friday night and Saturday morning, with his father repeatedly reminding him to not swing too hard.

"Just relax," Jones recalled his father telling him. "You don't have to swing that hard. You just have to make contact."

Jones not only borrowed the suite of a Brave for his family, but also left his car in the home team's parking lot.

"I'm surprised they didn't call me to pull my car out," Jones said.

Torre seemed as pleased with the walks that Jones drew in his next two trips to the plate as he was with the home run. Jones said he hoped the blast would lead to more.

"When you're not feeling good about yourself at the plate, you try too hard," he said. "Now, I can relax a little bit and take what they give me."

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Catcher Russell Martin, who was hitting .196 through Friday, was scratched from the lineup by Torre. Martin pinch-hit in the seventh and grounded into an inning-ending force out.

"He's fighting himself," Torre said. "He's trying to force things to happen. He's just trying to ignite [the team] because he knows there's a responsibility that goes with what he does and the position he plays. I'm just trying to let him understand that the game's got to him a little bit."