Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson were both winning pitchers in their first starts of the year for the Braves. Lowe pitched 5 2/3 innings in which he allowed 3 hits, walked 2 batters, whiffed 6 batters and he didn’t give up any earned runs on Opening Day. Hudson pitched in 7 innings in which he only gave up 3 hits, walked 1 batter, gave up 1 earned run and he whiffed 5 batters. The Braves are depending on the two graybeards of the starting rotation to show the kids how it’s done in 2011.

The Atlanta Braves have gotten off to a good start in 2011. They won two out of three games against the Nationals as they outscored them 16-8. The Braves’ pitching was outstanding and they got more than enough hitting to help them over the weekend. The Braves need to keep playing well because the Phillies are going to be very tough to keep up with this year due to their amazing starting rotation.

The Atlanta Braves have placed righty starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens on the 15-day disabled list due to a side injury. The Braves have called up 23-year old lefty starting pitcher Mike Minor in case Jurrjens isn’t ready when his first turn in the rotation comes up. Minor is the Braves’ #4 rated prospect coming into this year according to Baseball America. He got his first taste of the majors last season when he pitched in 9 games (8 starts) for the Braves in which he was 3-2 with a 5.98 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. Minor gave up 53 hits in only 40 2/3 innings for the Braves last year but he limited some of the damage due to the fact that he only walked 11 batters while whiffing 43. The Braves hope that Jurrjens can return soon, but if he can’t, the Braves will be more than happy to give Mike Minor the baseball.

The Braves have placed righty starter/reliever Kris Medlen on the 60-day disabled list as he continues to recover from Tommy John Surgery. He likely won’t be back until at least August. But, if Medlen can get healthy, he could really give the Braves’ pitching staff a boost late in the year as he has been a good pitcher so far in his career for them.

The Braves have acquired 22-year old lefty swinging 2B Marcus Lemon from the Rangers for a player to be named later. Lemon played in 111 games in AA-ball last year and he was 127 of 468 (.271 avg, .680 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 3 homers, 40 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He has now played five seasons in the minors and he has appeared in 507 games in which he is 523 for 1,910 (.274 avg, .720 OPS) with 269 runs scored, 15 homers, 175 RBIs and 49 stolen bases. Lemon isn’t a great prospect but he will give the Braves some depth in the high minors.

The Atlanta Braves have released 22-year old lefty starting pitcher Brett DeVall. DeVall pitched in 19 games (all starts) in A-ball last year and he was 7-9 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. DeVall pitched in 33 games (32 starts) in his first three years in the minors with the Braves and he was 11-13 with a 3.92 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Due to constant elbow issues and the fact that the Braves didn’t think DeVall was making much progress, he was cut loose. This was probably a mistake as DeVall will resurface with another team because he’s a lefty.