he made his mlb debut with the braves on september 7, 1998 against the new york mets. he started the game but only lasted three innings while allowing 4 runs on 6 hits. he picked up his first win, when he went seven innings on september 12 against the florida marlins. he remained with the braves through mid-2000, pitching in 42 games (starting 11) and was 8-2 with a 4.28 era.