LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- A year ago, Bobby Cox announced Derek Lowe as the Braves' opening-day starter five weeks before the game. New Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez waited until 15 days before opening day to make the announcement.
On Wednesday, Gonzalez named Lowe his starter for the March 31 opener at Washington, making it three seasons in a row and six out of seven that Lowe will start on opening day. Tim Hudson starts the April 8 home opener vs. Philadelphia.
“He was solid the last month and half of the season, and has been this spring,” Gonzalez said of Lowe, who was 5-0 with a 1.17 ERA in five September starts to win National League pitcher of the month honors and help the Braves win the wild-card playoff berth.
“I think this [rotation order] sets up well all the way down.”
After Lowe starts March 31, Tommy Hanson will pitch Game 2 on April 2, Hudson gets the April 3 series finale against the Nationals, and Jair Jurrjens starts the April 4 opener of a four-game series at Milwaukee.
Lowe comes back to pitch the fifth game of the season April 5, and the winner of the fifth-starter competition makes his season debut April 6 against Milwaukee. Rookies Brandon Beachy and Mike Minor are competing for fifth starter, along with veteran Rodrigo Lopez.
Hanson will pitch the series finale against the Brewers before Hudson starts the home opener.
Lowe started and won opening day in each of his first two seasons with the Braves. He gave up five runs in six innings of a 16-5 rout against the Chicago Cubs to begin the 2010 season and pitched eight scoreless innings (two hits) at Philadelphia in the 2009 opener.
He had been 0-3 with an 8.44 ERA in three previous opening-day starts.
Lowe has an 0.64 ERA and .167 opponents’ average in four spring starts.
“You don’t get two wins because you win the first game,” he said Tuesday, downplaying the opening-day possibility after a start against the Cardinals. “Someone’s got to pitch that game, but once that game is done, it’s not like the No. 1 guy has to pitch against No. 1’s the rest of the season."
The Braves will start Lowe, Hanson and Hudson at Washington. Against the Nationals, Lowe is 8-7 with a 3.64 ERA, Hanson is 2-1 with a 2.72 ERA in six starts, and Hudson is 10-2 with a 1.91 ERA.
Hanson sharp in Braves' win
Hanson retired the last 10 batters he faced and gave up only two hits and one run in five innings of the Braves’ 4-3 win Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox at Champion Stadium.
After Marco Scutaro homered on the second pitch of the game, Hanson set down 15 of the next 16 batters, save for a Ryan Kalish second-inning single.
Hanson doesn’t buy into the idea that spring training is too long for starting pitchers.
“For me, the more times I go out there, the better,” said the right-hander, who has a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings, allowing nine hits and one walk with nine strikeouts. “I feel like I’m pretty close right now. I still have some stuff to work on, but I feel like I’m pretty close to being ready.”
Heyward still out
Jason Heyward has missed five consecutive games with a sore back. The Braves reiterated Wednesday that they aren't concerned, that it's not serious, and that he was out of the lineup again because it's spring training and they want to be cautious.
The right fielder has taken batting practice each day that he hasn’t played.
"Just spring soreness," general manager Frank Wren said. "Everybody goes through it in one form or another, and one body part or another, or multiple body parts."
Heyward also has missed games this spring because of a minor groin strain.
He has hit .417 with two doubles and one RBI in 24 at-bats, the fewest at-bats among Braves lineup regulars. Four Braves regulars have 40 or more at-bats: Martin Prado (team-high 48), Freddie Freeman (42), Alex Gonzalez (41) and Chipper Jones (40).
Etc.
After the Red Sox scored two runs in the seventh on three hits against George Sherrill, the Braves regained the lead in the bottom of the inning on an unlikely play: a safety squeeze bunt by backup catcher David Ross that scored catcher Brian McCann. Ross beat the throw for a single. ... Freeman initially was listed as designated hitter, but was replaced by McCann, who wanted to get more at-bats against left-handed pitching. ... On the day that Jon Lester was announced as Boston's opening-day starter, the lefty allowed eight hits and three runs in 4 2/3 innings. Jones was 2-for-3 to raise his spring average to .375.
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