Braves Vs. Astros Series Recap: Atlanta Gets Back To Winning Ways In Houston

After being swept by the Mets to begin the 2012 season, the Atlanta Braves got back on track in Houston, winning two out of three games against the Astros. They may have let Monday's game get away from them with poor defense, but this does look like the club we expected to see all along.

Facing a meager lineup, Brandon Beachy struggled to put hitters away despite typically getting ahead in the count. His evening was undone by four errors committed in the field, two of which led to a disastrous third inning that would prove to be the difference in a 8-3 defeat.

Tuesday signified the return of Chipper Jones to the diamond, and his impact was felt immediately in both games he played in Houston. The soon-to-be 40-year-old third baseman went 4-for-9 in the series, belting out a huge two-run homer in the second game. Tommy Hanson, like Beachy, struggled to put hitters away early and wound it leaving earlier than expected due to a high pitch count, but he still managed to come away with the victory as Atlanta won 6-4.

Randall Delgado took the mound with hopes to claim a series victory and was opposed by Wandy Rodriguez, a pitcher who had historically given the Braves problems at the plate. He allowed five hits and two walks in his five innings of work, but allowed just two runs to score and struck out six. Jason Heyward had a monster game with three hits (including his first home run of the season) and Craig Kimbrel struck out the side to preserve a 6-3 victory.

It was a bit unnerving to see the Braves struggle as much as they did in New York, but the series in Houston was a much-needed confidence restorer for the club. They now will have an off-day on Thursday before resuming play against the Brewers at Turner Field for the home opener.

Braves Vs. Astros Final Score: Jason Heyward Leads Atlanta To 6-3 Win

Jason Heyward had three hits including his first home run of the season as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Houston Astros 6-3.

Randall Delgado earns the win in his first start of the season pitching five innings and allowing two earned runs while striking out five. Craig Kimbrel came on in the ninth and pitched out of some trouble to earn his second save in as many days. Wandy Rodriguez get charged with the loss for the Astros.

Atlanta fell behind early after J.D. Martinez put Houston up 1-0 in the first with a home run off of Delgado. Jason Heyward quickly tied things back up in the second with an RBI single that scored Dan Uggla. David Ross put the Braves on top in the fourth with a two RBI double off of Rodriguez to make the score 3-1. Jack Wilson followed with a squeeze bunt that scored Heyward to extend the lead to 4-1.

Houston would chip away in the fifth as Martinez singled home a run to make it 4-2 and cut the lead to 4-3 in the seventh after Carlos Lee drew a bases loaded walk. Heyward came back up in the eighth and provided some insurance with his first home run of the season to make the score 5-3. Atlanta's final run came on a single by Chipper Jones that Martin Prado scored after a throwing error by Jordan Schafer.

Houston put runners at the corners in the ninth against closer Craig Kimbrel but he struck out Carlos Lee looking to end the game. Atlanta wins its second straight game after starting the season 0-4 and earns its first series win in the process.

Read more about the Braves at Talking Chop. For more information on the Astros, visit The Crawfish Boxes and SB Nation Houston. For more news and notes from around Major League Baseball head over to Baseball Nation.

Atlanta Braves Vs. Houston Astros: Starting Lineups Announced

On Tuesday night, the Atlanta Braves notched their first win of the 2012 season. On Wednesday night, the Braves will look to beat the Astros again -- and in the process, take the series against Houston.

Both managers have announced their starting lineups for Wednesday night's game, and here's who fans will be watching on Wednesday night in Minute Maid Park:

Atlanta Braves
Michael Bourn, CF
Martin Prado, LF
Freddie Freeman, 1B
Chipper Jones, 3B
Dan Uggla, 2B
Jason Heyward, RF
David Ross, C
Jack Wilson, SS
Randall Delgado, SP

Houston Astros
Jordan Schafer, CF
Jose Altuve, 2B
J.D. Martinez, LF
Carlos Lee, 1B
Travis Buck, RF
Chris Johnson, 3B
Jason Castro, C
Marwin Gonzalez, SS
Wandy Rodriguez, SP

With the lefty Rodriguez on the mound for the Astros, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has opted to give Brian McCann a day off -- which is an opportune time to get McCann extra rest, with Thursday being a travel day.

For more on the Braves, be sure to check out Talking Chop and join the discussion.

Braves Vs. Astros, Game 3: Preview, TV Info And More

The Atlanta Braves are looking to build off of their first win of the season after defeating the Houston Astros Tuesday night 6-4 on the bat of Chipper Jones who made his season return by hitting a two-run homer. Jones has always has good success against the Astros over his career, and look for Jones to have a good game tonight for the Braves.

The Astros starting pitcher is Wandy Rodriguez and Jones has had great success over his career against Rodriguez by going 5-for-20 with two homers, a triple and five walks.

Starting for the Braves is Randall Delgando who is making his first start of the 2012 season. Last season Delgando made seven starts with a 1-1 record, 18 strikeouts and a 2.83 ERA.

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 11 8:05 p.m.

Location: Minute Maid Park Houston, Texas

Pitching Matchup: Wandy Rodriguez (0-0) vs. Randall Delgado (0-0)

TV: Fox Sports South

Radio: 680 WCNN-AM

Online streaming: MLB.tv

Read more about the Braves at Talking Chop. For more information on the Astros, visit The Crawfish Boxes and SB Nation Houston.

Braves vs. Astros: Chipper Jones Homers, Atlanta Claims First Win Of Season

The Atlanta Braves finally picked up their first victory of the season on Tuesday night, knocking off the Houston Astros by a score of 6-4. Chipper Jones hit a homer in his season debut, Tyler Pastornicky hit the first home run of his career and Tommy Hanson pitched well enough to claim his first win of the year.

Hanson was impressive throughout his five innings of work, although he was pretty ineffective at times, needing 101 pitches to record 15 outs. He struck out eight, walked three, and allowed two runs on six hits.

Kris Medlen worked 1.1 innings out of the bullpen and allowed two runs to score. The trio of Eric O'Flaherty, Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel allowed a total of five base runners while recording the final eight outs of the game, although they all escaped without allowing any runs.

Houston held an early 1-0 lead, but an RBI-double from Dan Uggla scored Brian McCann to tie the game. Jones belted his homer in the third inning on a hanging slider to give the Braves a 3-1 lead. Pastornicky followed in the fourth with a solo-shot to the Crawfish Boxes.

The two clubs took turns putting runs on the board throughout the middle innings, and a two-out RBI-single from pinch hitter Eric Hinske drove in Jason Heyward to give Atlanta an insurance run and 6-4 lead. Kimbrel closed it down in the ninth, improving Atlanta to 1-4 on the season.

Randall Delgado will take the mound for his first start of the season on Wednesday evening. He will be opposed by lefty Wandy Rodriguez. First pitch is set for 8:05 ET.

Chipper Jones Hits Home Run In Season Debut, Braves Lead Astros 3-1

After missing the first four games of the season while recovering from surgery on a torn knee meniscus, Chipper Jones made his debut on Tuesday night against the Astros. With the Braves still winless on the season, the soon-to-be 40-year-old would provide a much needed shot in the arm to the lineup.

Jones, who has both of his parents in attendance for tonight's game, came back in a big way.

He singled up the middle in his first at-bat, and also helped break up a potential double play by disrupting the throw from second base. In the third inning, Chipper took a hanging slider and deposited it a few rows back in right field. The Houston crowd, which has plenty of Braves fans in attendance, erupted as the veteran slugger hit homer No. 455.

Tommy Hanson is facing some trouble, but Atlanta currently leads by a score of 3-1.

For more on Chipper and the Braves, check out Talking Chop.

Braves vs. Astros: Game 2 Lineups Released

The Atlanta Braves take the field in Minute Made Park tonight at 8:05 p.m. (ET) to take on the Houston Astros in game two of their three-game series. So far the Braves are 0-4 on the season and are looking for their first win tonight. Chipper Jones returns to the lineup tonight after being activated of the DL. He is playing at third base and batting sixth. The rest of the lineups for tonight's game have been released and according to the Baseball Press, they are:

Braves:

1. Michael Bourn (L) CF
2. Martin Prado (R) LF
3. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
4. Brian McCann (L) C
5. Dan Uggla (R) 2B
6. Chipper Jones (S) 3B
7. Jason Heyward (L) RF
8. Tyler Pastornicky (R) SS
9. Tommy Hanson (R) P

Astros:

1. Jordan Schafer (L) CF
2. Jose Altuve (R) 2B
3. J.D. Martinez (R) LF
4. Carlos Lee (R) 1B
5. Brian Bogusevic (L) RF
6. Chris Johnson (R) 3B
7. Chris Snyder (R) C
8. Marwin Gonzalez (S) SS
9. Kyle Weiland (L) P

For more on the Braves, head to Talking Chop, and for more on the Astros, head to Crawfish Boxes. Also for all the baseball you can handle, head to SB Nation's MLB Hub.

Chipper Jones Activated By Braves, Jose Constanza Sent To AAA

Chipper Jones is back, folks. The Hall of Fame third baseman was officially activated by the Braves on Tuesday afternoon, sending outfielder Jose Constanza back to Triple-A Gwinnett. With Atlanta starting the season 0-4 and the fan base slowly starting to lose faith, a rejuvenated Chipper should be huge for the lineup.

Fredi Gonzalez has not givee much insight into where he expects to bat Jones, but anywhere between spots No. 2 through 6 seem possible. Given the club's current abundance of left-handed hitters, Gonzalez may get creative to try and break up the order with the switch hitting Jones.

This is great news for the Braves. Keeping their third baseman healthy is an absolute must if they hope to stay competitive in 2012, and while Jones will likely start out a bit rusty after missing the last two weeks, his impact on the batting order just makes everything come together.

Atlanta will take on the Astros this evening at 8:05 ET.

For more on the Braves, head over to Talking Chop.

Chipper Jones Honored By The Astros Prior To Monday's Game

The Houston Astros presented Chipper Jones with a Stetson cowboy hat prior to Monday's series opener.

Astros Vs. Braves, Game 2: Preview, TV Info And More

The Atlanta Braves are playing the Houston Astros in the second of a three-game series and the Braves are still looking to change the number in the win column for the first time this season.

It may seem a little odd that the Braves are winless, playing against an Astros team with some of the lowest expectations in the league coming into the season, but still rolling with three straight victories after their opening day loss to the Colorado Rockies.

On Monday, the Atlanta looks to even the score with Houston. The Braves could even get their star veteran Chipper Jones back in the lineup to provide a spark to the hitting rotation.

Here is a look at the game time and television schedule:

Date/Time: Tuesday, April 10 8:05 p.m.

Location: Minute Maid Park Houston, TX

TV: Fox Sports South

Online streaming: MLB.tv

Read more about the Braves at Talking Chop. For more information on the Astros, visit The Crawfish Boxes.

Braves Lose To Astros 8-3, Still Winless On The Season

When the Atlanta Braves released their lineup on Monday afternoon, everyone was shocked (and outraged) to see Jason Heyward out of the lineup.

When team reporters asked Fredi Gonzalez for his motives behind the move, he claimed Matt Diaz had 12 (TWELVE!) solid at-bats against Astros starter J.A. Happ, and that he wanted to see Juan Francisco play a little more before Chipper Jones returned on Tuesday.

It was a stupid decision then, and it probably cost the Braves the game. They fell to Houston by a score of 8-3.

Despite an early 3-0 lead for Atlanta, Houston climbed back into the game because of poor defense from Francisco. The recently-acquired third baseman, who is known to be pretty erratic in the field, bobbled a routine ball with two outs and a runner on in the third inning. Not only did he lose any chance of throwing the runner out at first, but when Jordan Schafer overran second base and headed for third, Francisco made an errant throw from about 10 feet away. Schafer slid in safe and the Astros promptly came up with a 2-RBI triple and RBI-single, tying the score at 3-3.

Maybe Martin Prado, who should have been at third, doesn't make the play, but I'm betting he does. I'm also betting Heyward has a higher chance of being successful at producing runs for the Braves, something they desperately need right now.

Livan Hernandez came in to relieve Brandon Beachy in the sixth and was smacked around for two runs. Chad Durbin allowed a 2-run homer to Justin Maxwell, the second the reliever has allowed in as many appearances.

The Braves are now 0-4 on the year, and are on a nine-game losing streak dating back to 2011. They'll face the Astros once again on Tuesday night.

Chipper Jones Injury: Braves Third Baseman Could Be Back On Tuesday

Chipper Jones could make his 2012 season debut on Tuesday against the Houston Astros

Braves Vs. Astros: Jason Heyward Absent From Atlanta's Starting Lineup

The Atlanta Braves are set to open a three-game series against the Astros tonight at Minute Maid Park in Houston. A quick glance at the Braves lineup reveals the absence of Jason Heyward who is tied for the team lead in RBIs and leading the team in extra base hits. Gonzalez is opting to go with another right handed hitter in Matt Diaz against Houston lefty J.A. Happ. Diaz in his career is 8 for 15 with a homer against Happ.

Braves fans will recognize a familiar face at the top of the Houston lineup as Jordan Schafer will lead off and play centerfield for the Astros.

Here is a complete look at the starting lineups for tonight's series opener between the Braves and the Astros:

Braves

1. Michael Bourn CF
2. Martin Prado LF
3. Brian McCann C
4. Dan Uggla 2B
5. Freddie Freeman 1B
6. Matt Diaz RF
7. Juan Francisco 3B
8. Tyler Pastornicky SS
9. Brandon Beachy P

Astros

1. Jordan Schafer CF
2. Jose Altuve 2B
3. Travis Buck LF
4. Carlos Lee 1B
5. Brian Bogusevic RF
6. Chris Johnson 3B
7. Jason Castro C
8. Marwin Gonzalez SS
9. J.A. Happ P

For more on this game Braves fans should check out Talking Chop and Astros fans should visit The Crawfish Boxes. For more MLB news and notes head over to Baseball Nation.

Astors Vs. Braves: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Atlanta Braves will look for their first victory of 2012 season Monday, as they open a three-game series at the Houston Astros (8:05 p.m. ET on FSS). The Braves (0-3) are coming off a season-opening, three-game sweep to the hands of the New York Mets, while the Astros won their three-game set against the Colorado Rockies 2-1.

Monday's contest will feature two young pitchers in Atlanta's Brandon Beachy and Houston's J.A. Happ. Also, playing in the contest will be former Braves third-round draft pick, outfielder Jordan Schafer.

To catch the game, here's the basic game information, including game time and local TV broadcast:

Location: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX.

Pitchers: Brandon Beachy (ATL) vs. J.A. Happ (HOU)

Game Time: 8:05 p.m. ET

TV Schedule: FSS (ATL)

Radio: WNNX 100.5 (ATL)

For more on the Braves, check out the SB Nation blog Talking Chop, while The Crawfish Boxes have everything on the Astros.

Braves Vs. Astros Preview: Atlanta Turns To Brandon Beachy In Houston

The Braves look for their first win of the season in Houston.