MILWAUKEE -- As he prepared this season knowing that he needed to stabilize Atlanta's injury-depleted starting rotation, Alex Wood said he welcomed the added pressure that came courtesy of the rookie success he generated last year.Of course, as long as Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman are willing to provide this kind of power on a consistent basis, Wood will not be the only member of Atlanta's pitching staff who feels some extra comfort. 
Heyward provided the Braves' first lead with a two-run, fifth-inning homer and Freeman notched his fifth career two-homer game while supporting the seven stellar innings Wood provided, as the Braves halted their recent frustrations against the Brewers with a 5-2 win on Tuesday night at Miller Park.After Heyward dented the scoreboard with his home run off Kyle Lohse, Freeman padded the lead with solo home runs in the sixth and eighth innings. This proved to be more than enough for Wood, who allowed five hits and just one run in seven innings.Braves reliever David Carpenter allowed the Brewers to cut the deficit to two runs with Aramis Ramirez's eighth-inning single. But Craig Kimbrel shut the door with a scoreless ninth inning, and the Braves celebrated their first win of the young season.The power supplied by Heyward and Freeman was much welcomed by the Braves, who had been shut out in five of their previous seven games against the Brewers. Atlanta had also lost nine of their previous 10 games played at Miller Park.Wood could have wilted after Carlos Gomez deposited his first pitch of the season over the center-field wall. But the 23-year-old southpaw instead showed his mettle as he escaped a couple of potentially-damaging situations in the first two innings and then started looking much like he had when he posted a 0.90 ERA in five August starts last year.After allowing two hits and issuing a walk in the first inning, Wood allowed the first two batters he faced in the second inning to reach safely. But he escaped the second with Gomez's double-play groundout and then surrendered just two more hits over his final five innings.Lohse surrendered three hits during the first four innings and positioned himself to escape the fifth inning unscathed, when Wood struck out while attempting to sacrifice Andrelton Simmons to second base. But the Brewers right-hander then fell behind Heyward with a 2-0 count before seeing the powerful right fielder send a towering, no-doubt shot into the right-field seats.Freeman added to Lohse's frustration when he opened the sixth inning with a line-drive shot that stayed just to the left of the right-field foul pole. Two innings later, Freeman sent Zach Duke's 1-1 slider into the Braves' bullpen, beyond the right-center-field wall.Dan Uggla began his two-hit game with a fourth-inning double that was marred by third-base coach Doug Dascenzo's inexplicable decision to have Freeman attempt to score from first base. Uggla added another double in the ninth that put him in position to score on Simmons' sacrifice fly.Mark Bowman / MLB.com
Heyward provided the Braves' first lead with a two-run, fifth-inning homer and Freeman notched his fifth career two-homer game while supporting the seven stellar innings Wood provided, as the Braves halted their recent frustrations against the Brewers with a 5-2 win on Tuesday night at Miller Park.After Heyward dented the scoreboard with his home run off Kyle Lohse, Freeman padded the lead with solo home runs in the sixth and eighth innings. This proved to be more than enough for Wood, who allowed five hits and just one run in seven innings.Braves reliever David Carpenter allowed the Brewers to cut the deficit to two runs with Aramis Ramirez's eighth-inning single. But Craig Kimbrel shut the door with a scoreless ninth inning, and the Braves celebrated their first win of the young season.The power supplied by Heyward and Freeman was much welcomed by the Braves, who had been shut out in five of their previous seven games against the Brewers. Atlanta had also lost nine of their previous 10 games played at Miller Park.Wood could have wilted after Carlos Gomez deposited his first pitch of the season over the center-field wall. But the 23-year-old southpaw instead showed his mettle as he escaped a couple of potentially-damaging situations in the first two innings and then started looking much like he had when he posted a 0.90 ERA in five August starts last year.After allowing two hits and issuing a walk in the first inning, Wood allowed the first two batters he faced in the second inning to reach safely. But he escaped the second with Gomez's double-play groundout and then surrendered just two more hits over his final five innings.Lohse surrendered three hits during the first four innings and positioned himself to escape the fifth inning unscathed, when Wood struck out while attempting to sacrifice Andrelton Simmons to second base. But the Brewers right-hander then fell behind Heyward with a 2-0 count before seeing the powerful right fielder send a towering, no-doubt shot into the right-field seats.Freeman added to Lohse's frustration when he opened the sixth inning with a line-drive shot that stayed just to the left of the right-field foul pole. Two innings later, Freeman sent Zach Duke's 1-1 slider into the Braves' bullpen, beyond the right-center-field wall.Dan Uggla began his two-hit game with a fourth-inning double that was marred by third-base coach Doug Dascenzo's inexplicable decision to have Freeman attempt to score from first base. Uggla added another double in the ninth that put him in position to score on Simmons' sacrifice fly.Mark Bowman / MLB.com
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