Notes: Freeman's 1st HR; Morton on DH

Just a few days after starting to once again feel comfortable at the plate, Freddie Freeman was finally reintroduced to the thrill of hitting a home run.

Freeman appeared quite comfortable when he hit one of his patented opposite-field home runs in a 16-5 loss to the Rays on Sunday afternoon at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Fla. The two-run shot off left-hander Jeffrey Springs was the reigning National League Most Valuable Player Award winner's first home run of the spring.

“He was saying even with his strikeout [today] he felt good,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “So, hopefully, it’s perfect timing.”

Freeman began Sunday’s two-hit performance with an opposite-field double off Rays lefty Ryan Yarbrough in the fourth. He is hitting .206 (7-for-34) with a .694 OPS through 15 Grapefruit League games, but with Opening Day just a few days away, the 31-year-old first baseman has two doubles and a homer in his past four at-bats.

This has been an emotionally trying Spring Training for Freeman, who talked to MLB.com this week about how hard it has been to be away from his wife, Chelsea, who remains in California with the couple’s two newest sons.

In that Q&A, Freeman spoke about how a conversation with his wife led him to return to the Braves’ Spring Training complex on Tuesday feeling much more relaxed.

“I got to the park the next day, walked in the cage, and after a few swings, our hitting coach Kevin Seitzer said, ‘Congrats on your MVP and your two new sons. I’d have told you sooner, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen Freddie Freeman,’” Freeman said.

Morton likes the DH game
After throwing three scoreless innings while making his final spring tuneup against the Rays on Sunday, Charlie Morton once again made it clear he doesn’t think baseball is better with pitchers trying to act like they can hit.

“It doesn’t benefit me to have a bat in my hands,” Morton said. “So, when I go up there, I’m taking the spot of someone who is grinding in Triple-A or someone who is on the bench who would love an at-bat. I’m up there with a [.075] career batting average. For me, it takes away from the game for somebody like me to be up there swinging.”

Morton spent the first nine seasons of his career in the NL, but he got used to life with the designated hitter while playing for the Astros and Rays over the past four seasons. His first career hit was tallied during his first stint with the Braves. It was a double against D-backs right-hander Yusmeiro Petit on Aug. 7, 2008.

Morton will have an extra day of rest when he makes his season debut on Saturday in Philadelphia. He didn’t allow an earned run in any of his three Grapefruit League appearances (10 1/3 innings) this year.

“The ball, to me, is jumping out of his hands,” Snitker said. “I know he kind of feels he needs some fine tuning. But I think he feels good with his arm, body and the whole thing. So, I feel really, really good about it.”

Jackson heating up
One day after learning he will begin the season as the Braves’ backup catcher, Alex Jackson showed his opposite-field power. Jackson jumped on Springs with a two-run shot over the right-center-field wall in the seventh.

Jackson has hit just .167 (5-for-30) with two homers this spring, but he’s shown some signs of offensive life while going 4-for-14 with a double and two home runs going back to March 20.

“It’s really encouraging what we’re seeing,” Snitker said. “We know about the power and his ability to catch. That kid throws as well as anybody in baseball. He’s a really solid, good defensive catcher. We’ve talked about the contact. You never know when a guy is going to get it going. It’s Spring Training. So, we’ll see.”