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ATL@NYM: Hanson pitches five innings of one-run ball

It'll be 1962 all over again Tuesday in Houston when the Astros host the Braves on the 50th anniversary of the franchise's first game.

The Astros will don the same uniforms worn by that '62 squad -- then called the Colt .45s -- featuring a pistol across the chest and the club's original logo. Bob Aspromonte, who went 3-for-4 and scored the franchise's first run a half-century ago, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Minute Maid Park.

All Astros fans can ask for is a similar result to the one "Aspro" and the Colt .45s earned 50 years ago (an easy 11-2 win over the Cubs). But the winless Braves could receive a jolt Tuesday, when Chipper Jones is expected to be activated from the disabled list.

Jones took swings from both sides of the plate and fielded grounders before Monday's game, an 8-3 Astros victory. During the workout, he was sharp enough to persuade the club to activate him so that he can start at third base on Tuesday.

But Jones, who had surgery on a torn meniscus in his left knee on March 26, isn't an all-encompassing solution for Atlanta, which is off to an 0-4 start. The Braves have mustered 10 runs during that timem and dating back to last season, they have now lost nine in a row.

There is some concern about a hangover after the club's woeful September caused them to miss out on a seemingly certain Wild Card berth. Tommy Hanson pitching in Houston, where he has been downright dominant, could be just what the Braves need to snap out of that early-season funk.

"I think it's just the backdrop," said Hanson, who has allowed just one earned run in three starts for an 0.41 ERA at Minute Maid Park. "Some places, home plate feels closer than others. Every time I've pitched here, [the roof has been closed]. So it's been comfortable, too. It's a lot of stuff. I've always done well. I feel really comfortable here."

In his first start, Hanson posted a solid performance, but he went only five innings and picked up the loss after allowing one run against the Mets. The Braves righty threw just 83 pitches, and he noted, "hopefully I can throw more and go deeper."

"I think it was a good one to build off of, but it's in the past," Hanson said. "I haven't really thought much about it. I took the positives out of it. I obviously want to go deeper than five innings. It's a good start."

The Astros counter Hanson with righty Kyle Weiland, who is looking to continue a strong first week from the starting pitchers. Houston's starters have posted a 1.71 ERA through four games, and every starter has lasted at least six innings.

Braves: Ice cold at the dish
Four games into the season, not a single Brave with more than three at-bats has a batting average over .300.

As a whole, the team is hitting just .151 with a .238 on-base percentage. Both of those numbers are more than 150 points below those of their opponents.

Martin Prado and Freddie Freeman are the only Braves with more than two hits, as both of them have notched four.

• Atlanta did improve with runners in scoring position on Monday, going 3-for-9. During the weekend series against the Mets, the Braves started their 2012 campaign by notching just one hit in 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Astros: Lowrie starting Minors assignment
Jed Lowrie begins his rehab stint at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, with hopes of returning to the big league club by Friday.

A sprained right thumb sent the Astros shortstop to the disabled list when the season began, and he'll get two or three at-bats on Tuesday night in his first action since the injury.

"Once it gets to the point I can play and it feels strong, it's going to be managing it from that point," Lowrie said. "That just comes with the season."

• Aspromonte will be the first of 13 different Astros greats who will throw out first pitches at Minute Maid Park in celebration of the 50th anniversary. The other 12, which include Larry Dierker, Jose Cruz, Nolan Ryan and Jeff Bagwell, will be featured as a part of "Flashback Fridays" at all Friday home games.

• A pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the sixth Monday gave J.D. Martinez a four-game hitting streak to open the season. He is hitting .385 during that stretch.

Worth noting
• In his first game back at Minute Maid Park since he was traded from Houston to Atlanta last season, Michael Bourn went hitless in four at-bats. Jordan Schaefer, who came back to the Astros in that deal, singled and scored a run in his four times up.

• It's not only in Houston that Hanson has dominated the Astros. In his two other starts against them, Hanson allowed three runs in 15 innings, winning both games. That upped his ERA to 0.97 when facing Houston, with a 3-0 record and a WHIP just below 0.60.

• In Atlanta's first six games, the club will have faced just two righties, one of them being Weiland. Both the Mets and the Astros attacked the Braves with two lefties and a righty.

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