Garza makes Brewers debut in finale with Braves

Right-hander Matt Garza makes his Milwaukee Brewers debut on Wednesday afternoon, as the Atlanta Braves visit Miller Park to close out a three-game season-opening series.

Garza turned 30 in November, then signed a lucrative deal a month later that will pay him $50 million over four seasons before an option year in the fifth that could be worth as much as $13 million if he meets vesting requirements. The Brewers have a $5 million team option if he fails to reach the numbers.

He split 2013 between the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers while going 10-6 in 24 starts. It was his first double-digit win season since going 10-10 with the Cubs in 2011.

Garza is 0-2 in three career starts against the Braves after allowing 19 hits and 15 runs in 14 innings.

He's 1-1 in four lifetime starts at Miller Park with a 3.42 earned run average.

Veteran righty Aaron Harang takes the ball for the Braves in his first appearance with the team since he was signed in late March after Atlanta released veteran Freddy Garcia.

The Braves have four pitchers on the disabled list to enter the season and had signed Garcia as a veteran addition, but let him go in favor of Harang, who's with his sixth organization in the last 12 months.

He was 5-11 in 22 starts with Seattle last season, posting a 5.76 ERA in 120 1/3 innings.

"We did not want to go into the season with really four young guys and just not have any coverage for them," general manager Frank Wren said. "This gives us someone who has been through the battles and knows what to do and knows how to handle things. Ee just felt (Harang) was a better fit for us."

The teams split the first two games of the get-together, with Atlanta drawing even on Tuesday night when Jason Heyward hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth and Freddie Freeman added a pair of solo shots in a 5-2 triumph.

Milwaukee jumped out to an early lead, as Carlos Gomez sent Alex Wood's first offering off the black backdrop beyond the center-field wall, but Atlanta's young 23-year-old starter settled down after allowing two more baserunners in that first inning. Wood (1-0) wound up allowing five hits and three walks while fanning five over seven innings.

His counterpart, Kyle Lohse (0-1), also went seven frames, but took the loss having surrendered three runs on five hits.

The Brewers won four of their six matchups with the Braves last season.