"Pitching plans announced by Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez pointed toward Derek Lowe as a likely opening-day starter, but Gonzalez cautioned not to make assumptions.

Jair Jurrjens starts the Grapefruit League opener Saturday against the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and fifth-starter candidates Rodrigo Lopez, Mike Minor and Brandon Beachy will pitch two innings apiece in Sunday's spring home opener against the Mets.

Lowe is scheduled to start Monday and Tommy Hanson on Tuesday (both games against Houston), followed by Tim Hudson on Wednesday against Boston. Gonzalez said the Braves would use that same order for the first 15 days of Grapefruit League games.

"This is not the rotation [order for the regular season], because a lot of things can happen between now and the beginning of the year," Gonzalez said. "You can always tinker. So that's why I'm not naming the opening day starter, or number 2, or 3…."

If Lowe pitches every fifth day and the Braves keep the rotation in the same order after their only scheduled spring-training team day off March 22, it would put Lowe on course to start opening day March 31 against the Nationals in Washington.

Lowe started and won on opening day each of his first two seasons with the Braves. He gave up five runs in six innings of a 16-5 rout against the Chicago Cubs to open the 2010 season, and pitched eight scoreless innings (two hits) at Philadelphia in the 2009 opener."