BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : NATIONAL LEAGUE : Braves’ Jones a Nomo Booster

Atlanta rookie third baseman Chipper Jones, who batted .265 with 23 home runs and 86 runs batted in, said Dodger pitcher Hideo Nomo should be considered the front runner in the National League’s rookie of the year contest.

If there is a controversy based on some people believing Nomo should not be considered a rookie because he pitched in Japan, Jones seemed unaware of that.

“What controversy?” he said. “He’s the front-runner. He’s done things Randy Johnson would be proud of.

“He’s come over into a different culture and had to adjust to that. Heck, L.A. is a different culture in itself from the rest of the country.

“He leads the league in strikeouts and is second in ERA and that warrants him to be the front-runner.”

In other words, if Jones had a vote he would give it to Nomo?

“I wouldn’t go that far,” he said with a laugh, “but he’s definitely the front runner.”

Even though some people say he shouldn’t be eligible? “Hopefully, those people have a vote,” Jones said.

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Jones acknowledged that he would love to hit regularly in the light air of Coors Field. He didn’t think either of his Game 1 homers were hit well enough to go out, particularly the ninth inning game-winner that soared into the Atlanta bullpen in right center. “That second one, I said, ‘no way.’ I put my head down to run out a fly ball, then I saw (center fielder Mike] Kingery climbing the fence.” . . . Colorado Manager Don Baylor said he had no regrets about any of his Game 1 moves that ultimately left him out of position players and forced to use pitcher Lance Painter as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded in the ninth. Painter struck out. Baylor said it revolved around the absence of execution, that any base hit, walk or sacrifice fly at the right time and “we would have been home free.” He said, “I talked it over with my coaches again and they all agreed that I had done everything I wanted to do and needed to do to win the game. That made me feel good.” . . . Baylor, with 12 pitchers on his 25-man roster, was defended by Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox, who said: “[Bret] Saberhagen’s not 100% and neither is [Bill] Swift. Why wouldn’t you carry 12 pitchers? All he was trying to do was win the ballgame. You can’t fault a guy for shooting his bullets, trying to win it when he has the chance. If I was in his situation I’d carry 12 or 13 pitchers, too.”