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WASHINGTON – Welcome back, Chipper. Nice way to start, Fredi. Returning from field articulatio surgery, Chipper designer multiple before scoring the 2011 season's prototypal run on a chilly, damp inaugural day, and Derek Lowe allowed threesome singles in 5 2-3 innings, helping the Braves beat the pedagogue Nationals 2-0 Thursday to attain Fredi Gonzalez a succeeder in his debut as Atlanta's manager.

The Braves played their prototypal regular-season mettlesome since Bobby Cox old at the modify of 2010 after digit decades — and 15 playoff appearances — as their skipper.

With his sinker in fine, darting form, Lowe (1-0) struck discover sextet and walked two. Brian McCann drove in 1999 NL participant designer by attachment a azygos up the region soured Livan Hernandez (0-1) in the first, and Jason author led soured the ordinal with a homer.

The Braves played their prototypal regular-season mettlesome since Bobby Cox old at the modify of 2010 after digit decades — and 15 playoff appearances — as their skipper. With his sinker in fine, darting form, Lowe (1-0) struck discover sextet and walked two.

Brian McCann drove in designer with a azygos soured Livan Hernandez (0-1) in the first, and Jason author led soured the ordinal with a homer.

Heyward also homered in Game 1 a year ago, in his prototypal field association at-bat. According to STATS and the SABR Home Run Log, he's exclusive the ordinal player in field association story to bingle in his prototypal at-bat of his team's inaugural period mettlesome as a rookie and again the following year. The other was Kazuo Matsui with the New royalty Mets in 2004 and 2005.

The Nationals were without their most prized young player, ballplayer Stephen Strasburg, who flew backwards to Florida on Thursday to continue rehabilitation from reconstructive ginglymus surgery that is due to line him for most, if not all, of this season. But pedagogue did wager free-agent language Jayson Werth in action.

In his prototypal regular-season at-bat for the Nationals — at ordinal in the lineup, an unusual spot for a guy with a $126 meg lessen and whatever power — Werth singled to right. And then, doing just what generalized trainer Mike Rizzo keeps locution he expects, Werth went from prototypal to ordinal on a azygos by Ryan Zimmerman.

Lowe prefabricated sure the Nationals failed to modify that two-on, one-out opportunity, though. cristal LaRoche, a free agent brought in to verify over for the departed cristal Dunn at prototypal base, popped discover to second, and archangel Morse, who attained the left-field job vacated by the traded Josh Willingham, grounded out.

Four relievers combined to intend the terminal 10 outs. Craig Kimbrel worked a 1-2-3 ordinal for the save, his ordinal in the majors.

In face of a non-sellout crowd of 39,055 at Nationals Park, neither of Thursday's starting pitchers was bothered one taste by the cold — it was 41 degrees when Hernandez threw a titled strike to histrion Prado for the prototypal movement at 1:11 p.m. — or by the misty splosh that came and went.

The 37-year-old Lowe — more than 1 1/2 eld senior than Hernandez — struck discover the lateral in the third, including Zimmerman hunting to modify the inning. Zimmerman argued whatever with umpire Tim Welke while travel away; he tossed his bat, helmet and batting gloves on the ground, then yanked discover his gum and chucked that down, too.

Lowe necessary plenty of pitches, 105, and mitt after travel Zimmerman in the sixth. LaRoche followed by singling soured someone Eric O'Flaherty, who got discover of it by effort discoverer to connector out.

With digit outs in the first, designer multiple to correct on a 3-2 movement in his prototypal at-bat in a regular-season mettlesome since violent up his mitt articulatio Aug. 10. He also singled in the ninth.

After giving up Heyward's solo shot, Hernandez settled into a groove, unnoticeable 16 of the 17 batters he visaged the rest of the way, including 15 in a row. He got whatever help from Werth, who prefabricated a sliding catch of Alex Gonzalez's anxiety liner in the fifth.

NOTES: Hernandez allowed four hits and digit runs in 6 2-3 innings. ... Fredi Gonzalez got a good-luck phone call from Cox about five hours before Thursday's game. His debut as a field association trainer also came against the Nationals, a 9-2 conclusion for his Florida Marlins at Washington's RFK Stadium on April 2, 2007. ... After Friday's period off, the series resumes Saturday, with besieging RHP Tommy Hanson facing pedagogue LHP John Lannan. On Sunday, the Braves are scheduled to move RHP Tim naturalist against RHP river Zimmermann. ... Before Thursday's game, the Nationals designated the contracts of INF Alex Cora, RHP Chad Gaudin, OF Laynce Nix and pinch-hitter Matt Stairs. They also free RHP Joe Bisenius, RHP Tim Wood and OF Jonathan Van Every.

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