Braves, White Sox to play at Turner Field

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Braves return to Turner Field Friday night for the first of the last two exhibition games of the spring - against the World Series champion Chicago White Sox.

Atlanta's John Smoltz got his final workout of spring training Thursday, allowing one earned run and five hits over five innings of a 7-5 Grapefruit League victory over Washington. Smoltz threw 52 of 67 pitches for strikes, didn't walke a batter and struck out five.

Pleased with his changeup and the movement on his fastball, Smoltz (2-0, 1.96 ERA) declared everything ``in check.''

``I don't know how many guys I walked this spring, but it didn't feel like I walked hardly any at all,'' said the right-hander, who actually walked three in 23 innings. ``My control and being able to attack with pitches is going to be key.''

He set out to take things easier this season, coming out of a game earlier than he'd like or missing a start altogether, if need be.

``Everything that I wanted to accomplish, everything I set out to do from an attitude, mind-set-wise stayed consistent throughout,'' he said.

``When you have a game plan and you try to set out to do something, you're always going to have some bumps along the way, which might make you revert back to your old ways. Fortunately, I never allowed that to happen.''

With Tim Hudson the opening day starter, followed by Smoltz, Jorge Sosa, Horacio Ramirez and Kyle Davies or John Thomson, Smoltz called Atlanta's group of starters ``as deep as we've been for a while.''

The Nationals, on the other hand, head north with the 3-4-5 spots in the rotation as question marks. After Livan Hernandez and John Patterson, there's a drop-off to Ramon Ortiz, Pedro Astacio and Armas.

Against Atlanta, Armas gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 2-3 innings. He left after allowing minor leaguer Diory Hernandez's two-run double to the gap in right; both runners reached on walks. It was only Armas' third start for Washington this spring; he represented Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic.

``I would have liked for him to be a little better out there, a little sharper, and gotten the hitters out a little easier,'' manager Frank Robinson said. ``But things weren't there.''

Armas said he made just one mistake Thursday: a hanging slider that Brian Jordan hit for a triple leading off the third.

``You would like to have better results. But I'm going into the season healthy,'' Armas said. ``I'm not far, actually. The control is pretty good. I'm just missing by a little bit.''

He was 7-7 with a 4.97 ERA in 2005, going 0-2 with a 9.75 ERA in his last three starts. His final appearance came Sept. 1, and he later had surgery on his pitching shoulder.

Because of an off day in the Nationals' early schedule, Armas will be skipped in the rotation. He'll stay in Florida to face minor leaguers, then is slated to make his regular-season debut April 9 at Houston.

NOTES: Nationals C Brian Schneider threw out runners attempting to steal second base for the final out of each of the first two innings. ... Washington got down to the 25-man active roster limit by releasing OF Michael Tucker, who hit .158 this spring, sending RHP Travis Hughes outright to Triple-A New Orleans, and reassigning C Alberto Castillo and RHP Kevin Gryboski to minor league camp. The moves mean 1B-OF Daryle Ward and C Wiki Gonzalez made the team as backups. ... Nationals RHP Luis Ayala, out for the season after being injured at the World Baseball Classic, had reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in Los Angeles. He'll begin rehab work next week in Tempe, Ariz.