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Hudson's solid start

Hudson's 150th career win

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Bush's solid start

Bush's solid outing

Despite scuffling at the plate for weeks, the Braves used a six-run sixth inning, including a grand slam from Martin Prado, to score eight runs en route to the series opening win. On Tuesday in the second game of the series, Atlanta will try to keep the scoring coming, while the Crew will throw right-hander Dave Bush at the Braves.

Before the game, Braves manager Bobby Cox stood up for his players, saying he didn't think they were trying too hard at the plate, and nine innings later, they proved him right.

"I don't think they're pressing, they're playing as good as they can right now," Cox said. They're actually playing some great baseball."

While the Braves could wonder if its Miller Park which brought them luck at the plate, the Brewers are left wondering what's happening for the home team. The Crew is now 4-9 at Miller Park and 11-8 elsewhere.

Bush is tasked with leading the Brewers on Tuesday, in hopes of picking up a home win and shutting down the Braves' offense. He could focus on keeping Atlanta in the yard, as the Braves are now 11-3 in games in which they have a home run and 3-15 without. Bush has allowed seven homers in 34 1/3 innings so far this season.

The key to keeping the Braves in the yard could be the presence of rookie sensation Jason Heyward. After missing five games with groin pain, the outfielder is back in the lineup Tuesday.

It's safe to say the Crew has mixed emotions about introducing its pitchers to the rookie.

For one thing, the Brewers may not have faced Heyward in the regular season, but they are more than aware of his exploits. Most impressive perhaps, Ryan Braun said, is Heyward's young age, coupled with his maturity level.

"For him to live up to that type of hype, that means he's a pretty good player," Braun said. "That's very difficult to do. I've seen him in interviews, and it seems like he handles himself well and is very humble. The numbers speak for themselves.

"And he's 20. When I was 20 years old, I was a sophomore at [the University of] Miami. I'm excited to see him play."

Braun, though, will only have a view of Heyward from the dugout, as he'll miss Tuesday's game after being hit by a Tommy Hanson pitch on Monday night.

Braves: Injury bug biting Atlanta
The injury bug continues to bite the Braves as they have several starters battling nagging injuries. Before the game, Jair Jurrjens, already suffering from a left hamstring strain, heard a pop while lightly jogging in the outfield, further delaying his return. "It wasn't even 100 percent sprinting, I was just trying to get back to normal strides," Jurrjens said. "Before it happened I was feeling good and just starting to put a little bit extra in it." He will have an MRI when the team returns to Atlanta. While Yunel Escobar still has several days to go on the disabled list, Cox said, "He's coming along. He's progressing."

Brewers: Bush trying to keep pitch count lower
Bush narrowly avoided eating a tough-luck loss in his last outing against the Dodgers. A high pitch count forced him from the game after five innings, but he allowed just one earned run (three total) on four hits while striking out four. The Brewers' late rally was thwarted, but it did ensure that Bush wouldn't have to take the loss. Pitch counts haven't been a big problem for Bush this season, as he's pitched into the seventh twice, but he'll try to work deeper against the Braves. "I racked up a lot of pitches the first two innings," Bush said. "After that, I settled in, had some pretty quick innings. I didn't really have to work out of trouble after that."

Worth noting
Over his past 15 games, Troy Glaus is batting .347 (18-for-52) with two doubles, 11 RBIs and 11 walks. ... One of Milwaukee's RBI leaders, Braun could find better luck on Tuesday after an 0-for-2 night on Monday, as the young slugger is hitting .455 (4-for-11) in his career against Braves starter Tim Hudson.