The last time the Braves played a regular season game at Turner Field, they dropped an extra-inning must-win game that ended their chances at a playoff spot.
Hoping to turn the page, Atlanta begins the home portion of its schedule this evening with the opener of a three-game series versus the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Braves opened the season on a six-game road trip, dropping the first four contests of the swing to continue their season-ending struggles from 2011. Atlanta lost its final five games of last season and its 13-inning loss to the Phillies in its regular-season finale eliminated the club from the playoffs.
Back-to-back wins over the Astros may have gotten the Braves back on track. They secured the series victory on Wednesday with a 6-3 win, getting a two-run double from backup catcher David Ross and a solo homer by Jason Heyward.
Heyward went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs while scoring twice, while Chipper Jones added two hits.Randall Delgado picked up the victory, allowing two runs over five innings.
"I thought he gave us everything we were looking for," said Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez about his starter. "He hadn't pitched in over a week so we didn't want to leave him out there all night, but he did his job great."
Also looking to rebound in the home opener will be Jair Jurrjens, who struggled through a poor spring and then lost his first start on Saturday at the New York Mets. The right-hander was touched for three runs, seven hits, two homers and three walks over 4 1/3 innings.
Jurrjens missed the end of last season with a right knee injury and the 26- year-old is 2-1 with a 2.95 earned run average in three career starts versus the Brewers.
While the Braves are seeking a third straight win, the Brewers are hoping to avoid their first losing streak of the season tonight. After losing two of three to the Cardinals to begin the season, Milwaukee took the first three of its four-game series with the hosting Cubs before dropping an 8-0 decision in Thursday's finale.
Nyjer Morgan collected two of the three hits for the Brewers, while Zack Greinke was shelled for all eight runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out five in 3 2/3 innings.
"I know some of the balls were up," Greinke said. "With two strikes, I didn't make very good pitches, but besides that, there's not much I thought I could have done differently."
Randy Wolf aims for different results tonight after losing his season debut on Sunday versus the Cardinals. The Brewers southpaw was on the wrong end of a 9-3 decision, giving up three runs on nine hits over five frames with seven strikeouts.
Wolf, 35, has struggled in his career against the Braves, who he did not face last season. He is just 5-12 with a 5.28 ERA versus them in his career and that includes a 5-7 mark and 5.01 ERA in 18 games (16 starts) at Turner Field.
The Braves have won 13 of their past 19 versus the Brewers, including a sweep of a four-game set in Atlanta last May.
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