Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — The Braves deployed three-fifths of their projected starting rotation on different fields Saturday, and the only one who didn't give up a bunch of runs was the only one who couldn't.

Tim Hudson pitched five simulated, uneventful innings against Braves minor leaguers on a backfield, but John Smoltz and rookie Jair Jurrjens didn't fare as well against hitters in different uniforms.

"Well, we won one today — Huddy won his game," joked manager Bobby Cox, whose Braves lost their split-squad games against Tampa Bay and Houston.

Smoltz, in his Grapefruit League debut, cruised through four innings but couldn't make it out of the fifth after giving up five runs (three earned) in an 11-10 defeat against the Rays at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

Jurrjens, terrific in his past two starts, got roughed up for four runs, four hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings of a 15-6 road loss against Houston. He had previously allowed one run, four hits and two walks in nine innings.

Closer Rafael Soriano also made his Grapefruit League debut Saturday, allowing consecutive singles to begin the sixth inning against Tampa Bay before retiring the next three on a popup, line out to right and fly to center.

"Alright for the first time out," Cox said of Soriano, who had been sidelined by a stomach virus early and a sore pitching elbow lately.

The right-hander threw 16 strikes in 23 pitches, and Cox was pleased Soriano threw hard (94 mph on two pitches) but didn't try to throw as hard as he could.

Even more anticipated was the spring debut of Smoltz, 40, who skipped his first three rotation turns and instead pitched in simulated-game situations.

The unusual regimen was his idea, designed to let him hone the off-speed pitches and sinker he plans to rely upon more in his 21st season in the majors. For four innings, Smoltz looked like the smartest man in the ballpark.

Even after things spiraled in the fifth inning against the Rays, Smoltz and Cox said they were pleased with the veteran's performance.

"All and all, I'm very satisfied," said Smoltz, who threw 33 strikes in 46 pitches in four innings, before 12 balls in a 22-pitch fifth. "I threw strikes all day until I didn't get a couple of close calls and walked those guys."

Before the fifth, Smoltz had only allowed two singles.

"Smoltz was really good," said Cox, who replaced him after Carlos Pena's two-run homer, a fly aided by both the elements and Josh Anderson, the left fielder who leaped and had the ball bounce off his glove and over the fence.

"Seven hitters was a little too much," Cox said. (Pena was the seventh hitter in the fifth.) "That wind-blown job was the [would-be] third out of the inning."

Smoltz walked the first two batters in the fifth, each with two strikes, then gave up a two-run double by Reid Brignac. After a sacrifice, a sacrifice fly and Mark Teixeira error, Pena got one into the wind and it was a 5-0 game.

Hudson threw five simulated innings Saturday morning after being scratched from a start Friday against Philadelphia because of the threat of early innings rain.

"Everything felt really good, sinker, change, curve was pretty good," Hudson said. "And my cutter was best it's been all spring."

Hudson is scheduled to make his next start Thursday against Detroit, and Smoltz is set to start Friday against Cleveland.

Cox hasn't announced his regular-season rotation order, but the every-fifth-day schedule has Hudson in line to start the March 30 opener at Washington, and Smoltz would get the March 31 home opener against Pittsburgh.