Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — Javy Lopez had an eventful afternoon in his first Braves game since 2003.

The 37-year-old catcher had a two-run homer and sacrifice fly and was charged with two throwing errors in a 10-2 win against the Dodgers at Champion Stadium.

Kelly Johnson and Chipper Jones had two hits apiece for the Braves, who won their Grapefruit League home opener before a crowd of 7,256.

Lopez is trying to win the backup job after being out of baseball in 2007. The Braves like what they've seen from the slimmed-down veteran, who looks better behind the plate than in his 43-homer season for the Braves in 2003.

Manager Bobby Cox downplayed Lopez's errors, one of which came when he got a sign wrong and thought the Braves were covering second base (they weren't).

Smoltz works on a plan

A couple of dozen Braves fans were busy pursuing autographs from pitchers who were headed home with the afternoon off, while an aging pitcher was reinventing himself 150 feet away on a Disney backfield.

Not just any aging pitcher. John Smoltz threw sinkers and off-speed pitches to Brayan Pena, Brent Lillibridge and three other minor-league hitters Friday.

His days of 96-mph fastballs and ferocious splitters are over, and Smoltz, 40, plans for his evolving repertoire to feature plenty of curveballs, changeups and two-seam sinkers.

If the befuddled looks of those young hitters were an indication, his work-in-progress is coming along quickly.

Smoltz, who will skip his first few Grapefruit League rotation turns and instead work from a self-designed plan that includes simulated-game conditions or minor-league spring games every fifth day, said last week he wasn't pleased with his sluggish pitches in the first two weeks. But when he faced hitters Friday, Smoltz's curveball was snapping, his changeup and sinker moving.

Jurrjens works on confidence

Though his Braves debut had some encouraging moments, Jair Jurrjens wasn't satisfied after giving up two hits, one run and one walk in two innings.

"Up here you're not going to get away with many mistake pitches," said Jurrjens, who threw a hanging slider that Andy LaRoche drove to deep center for a run-scoring double in the first inning.

"It was my first [game]. I'm not so happy with it, but it was not bad."

Journeyman Buddy Carlyle, competing for a roster spot, retired all six batters in the third and fourth innings for the win.

Jurrjens, acquired from Detroit in the November trade for shortstop Edgar Renteria, is a leading candidate for the fifth-starter job.

"J.J. is as advertised," Cox said of the right-hander, whose fastball was clocked consistently at 94 mph Friday. He's trying to sharpen the slider he said he lost after developing a strained shoulder last season.

Etc.

The Braves agreed to terms with 20 "zero to three" players (under three years of service): right-handers Carlyle, Jurrjens, Manny Acosta, Blaine Boyer, Jairo Cueves, Charlie Morton, Chris Resop, Zach Schreiber and Phil Stockman; lefties Chuck James, Jo-Jo Reyes, Jeff Ridgway, and Royce Ring; catcher Clint Sammons; outfielders Josh Anderson, Gregor Blanco and Brandon Jones; and infielders Johnson, Yunel Escobar and Martin Prado.