Lowe has been aces for Braves

After two months of the season, it’s a good time to examine the Braves’ off-season acquisition of pitcher Derek Lowe. Here is a glimpse at how he compares to two other aces the Braves pursued last winter – and one they did not.

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Derek Lowe, who signed a 4-year, $60 million contract with the Braves in January, is tied for fourth in the National League in wins (6).

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Derek Lowe, 6-3, 3.49 ERA

• Stat line: 11 starts, 69.2 innings, 67 hits, 29 runs, 27 earned runs, 2 homers, 22 walks, 41 strikeouts

• Opponent batting average: .240

• Contract: Signed a 4-year, $60 million contract with Braves in January

• 2009 salary: $15 million

• The skinny: Lowe signed with the Braves after four seasons with the Dodgers. He is tied for fourth in the National League in wins and tied for seventh in the majors. His ERA is 14th in the NL. He has been the workhorse the Braves needed as he is eighth in the NL in innings pitched.

Jake Peavy, 5-5, 3.67 ERA

• Stat line: 11 starts, 73.2 innings, 59 hits, 31 runs, 30 earned runs, 7 homers, 24 walks, 84 strikeouts

• Opponent batting average: .219

• Contract: Signed 3-year, $52 million contract with Padres in 2007

• 2009 salary: $11 million

• The skinny: The Braves had extensive trade talks with the Padres for the 2007 Cy Young Award winner, who remained with San Diego. He is fifth in the majors, and third in the NL, in strikeouts. He is also third in innings pitched. His five wins are tied for eighth in the NL and three of them have come in his last three starts.

A.J. Burnett, 3-2, 4.78 ERA

• Stat line: 10 starts, 64 innings, 59 hits, 34 runs, 34 earned runs, 10 homers, 31 walks, 57 strikeouts

• Opponent batting average: .252

• Contract: Signed 5-year, $82.5 million contract with the Yankees in December

• 2009 salary: $16.5 million

• The skinny: The Braves made a contract offer to Burnett, but he chose the Yankees after three years with the Blue Jays. He is tied for 37th in wins and 28th in ERA in the American League. He is tied for 8th in the AL in strikeouts, but is second in walks. His win on May 27 was his first since April 14.

C.C. Sabathia, 5-3, 3.46 ERA

• Stat line: 11 starts, 78 innings, 65 hits, 32 runs, 30 earned runs, 4 homers, 24 walks, 56 strikeouts

• Opponent batting average: .226

• Contract: Signed 7-year, $161 million contract with the Yankees in December

• 2009 salary: $15,285,714

• The skinny: The Braves were never in the running for the services of Sabathia, the biggest name in the off-season pitching market. He struggled in April but went 4-1 with a 2.56 ERA in May. He is 25th in the majors in ERA. He is third in the AL in innings pitched and has two complete games.