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Chipper homers in return, Braves earn 1st win of the season

Apr 11, 2012 - 6:15 AM Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Chipper Jones showed little rust in his 2012 debut on Tuesday, going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer as the Atlanta Braves topped the Houston Astros, 6-4, in the middle tilt of a three-game set at Minute Maid Park.

Jones missed the tail end of spring training and the first four games of the season after surgery on March 26 to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

"[Jones] made a statement that spring training is too long," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez joked. "He won the game single-handedly."

Tyler Pastornicky cracked a solo homer, Dan Uggla had an RBI double, while Eric Hinske and Freddie Freeman also knocked in runs for the Braves, who picked up their first win of the season and avoided starting 0-5 for the first time since 1988.

Tommy Hanson (1-1) gave up two runs on six hits and three walks while fanning eight in five innings for the win. Hard-throwing closer Craig Kimbrel secured his first save of 2012 despite allowing the first two runners to reach base in the ninth.

Carlos Lee went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI, while Chris Johnson and Marwin Gonzalez also knocked in runs for the Astros, who fell to 3-2 on the young season. Jordan Schafer finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored.

Eric Weiland (0-1) took the loss after giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings.

"This [loss] is on me," Weiland said. "My command wasn't great today."

The Astros opened the scoring in the second inning on an RBI single up the middle by Gonzalez.

Atlanta came right back with three runs in the third inning. Brian McCann started the rally by ripping a two-out single through the shift and into right field, and Uggla followed with an RBI double to the deepest part of the ball park to tie it at one. Jones then banged a hanging slider from Weiland about five rows deep into the right field seats to put the Braves up 3-1.

The Braves added to their lead again when Pastornicky led off the fourth by blasting a breaking ball from Weiland into the Crawford Boxes in left field to make it 4-1. It was his first major league home run.

The Astros pulled to within 4-2 in the fifth, thanks in large part to Schafer, who singled to lead off the frame, then stole second and third before coming home on an RBI single to right by Lee.

The speed of Michael Bourn allowed the Braves to take a 5-2 lead in the seventh when the former Astro worked a leadoff walk, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout by Martin Prado. Freeman then chopped a grounder to first and Bourn beat the throw home from Lee.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Astros answered with a pair of runs to cut the deficit to 5-4. Schafer again led off the frame with a hit and J. D. Martinez followed with a sharp single off the glove of Pastornicky at short to put runners on the corners with one out.

Lee then rocketed a hanging breaking ball high off the wall in left to bring home Schafer, and after pinch-hitter Matt Downs flew out, Johnson stepped in and ripped a single up the middle to bring in Martinez.

Jason Heyward ripped a one-out single in the Braves' eighth and came around to score on Hinske's two-out RBI single to left to give Atlanta an insurance run.

Kimbrel allowed a single to Lee to lead off the ninth, then walked pinch- hitter Travis Buck before inducing a 4-6-3 double play from Johnson and getting Chris Snyder to ground out to third to end the game.

Game Notes

Schafer also contributed three stolen bases for the Astros...Houston celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Houston Colt .45s by wearing throwback uniforms. The Colt .45s beat the Chicago Cubs in their first ever Major League game on April 10, 1962...Hanson improved to 4-0 in his career against the Astros...It was Jones' 455th career home run. He now has the third-most home runs by a switch- hitter in major league history, behind only Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray...The 1988 Atlanta Braves started 0-10 and finished the season 54-106...Houston finished 5-for-18 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12.