Infielder gets fresh start, playing time in Augusta

A lot of baseball players would consider getting sent down from high Class A to low A a demotion.

Not Kyle Haines.

"I was happy to get here," he said. "This is where I wanted to be to start the year."

The San Francisco Giants assigned Haines, who batted .287 in his first pro season last year, to the high A San Jose (Calif.) Giants in May. The infielder struggled to a .176 average in a reserve role.

After playing in just 17 games for San Jose, Haines was sent to the low A Augusta GreenJackets, where he was batting .397 going into Tuesday's game against Greenville (S.C.). In Augusta, he's gotten the chance to play almost every day.

"And if I play well, then hopefully I'll get a spot in the everyday lineup," said Haines, who has played mostly second base for the GreenJackets. "That's all I can ask for."

So far, Haines has made a good case for himself as the regular second baseman. The switch-hitter is batting .432 off right-handers and .316 off left-handers. He has reached base in all 16 games he's had an at bat. He's recorded a hit in 14 of those games and has two or more hits in nine games. He had back-to-back three-hit games over the weekend in Savannah.

BATTING CHAMPION? Augusta right fielder Brandon Moss was the South Atlantic League batting champion last season with a .339 average. Brian Horwitz is looking to make it back-to-back titles for GreenJackets right fielders.

Horwitz, who was the short-season Northwest League batting champion last season, has ridden a 24-game hitting streak to the top of the league. He was batting .343 going into Tuesday's game.

The free-agent signee from the University of California was leading Asheville's Matt Miller by four percentage points going into Tuesday's game.

The batting title isn't the only thing Horwitz is chasing right now. Tuesday's first-inning single tied him for the longest hitting streak of the season in the affiliated minor leagues. The SAL record is 35 games.

Horwitz is batting .396 with 13 runs scored, 10 doubles, one triple, 10 walks and just seven strikeouts during the streak. He's reached base in 34 consecutive games, two shy of the SAL's longest streak. Rome's Matt Young had reached in 36 consecutive games going into Tuesday.

THE KNEE IS FINE: Left fielder Mike Wagner returned from the disabled list Aug. 8 as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1. That wasn't a sign of things to come.

Wagner is batting .636 in his past four games with a home run and five RBI.

Wagner went on the disabled list after his knee was sliced open in a collision at home plate June 17. He returned July 4, played two games and went back on the disabled list when the wound re-opened.

Reach Kristy Shonka at (706) 823-3216 or kristy.shonka@augustachronicle.com.