LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Jair Jurrjens would like a little more time to relocate his slider and tune his delivery. But the right-hander and his Braves teammates will gladly work through their kinks while getting the exhibition season under way.

Jurrjens will start for the Braves this afternoon at 1:05 p.m. ET, when they travel to Lakeland, Fla., to face the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium.

"I know we've only been here a week and a half, but you kind of get sick of doing the same thing every day," Braves right fielder Jeff Francoeur said. "It's time to get the games started."

Detroit, which traded Jurrjens to Atlanta in October 2007, will send Justin Verlander to the mound to start the game. Former Brave Zach Miner is also scheduled to pitch.

Jurrjens, who finished third in last year's balloting for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, is scheduled to pitch two innings. Jo-Jo Reyes, Manny Acosta, Stephen Marek and Eric O'Flaherty are also scheduled to pitch for the Braves.

"It will be fun going back to Lakeland," Jurrjens said. "I want to see how the fans react and get a chance to see some of my old teammates."

Chipper Jones and the newly acquired Garret Anderson appear to be the only Braves regulars who won't make the short trek to Lakeland. Francoeur, Brian McCann, Yunel Escobar and the rest of manager Bobby Cox's projected starting lineup are expected to play.

Coming off a season during which he went 13-10 and tossed a professional career-high 188 innings, Jurrjens spent the early portion of this offseason attempting to rest his body. After undergoing Lasik surgery in November, he returned to his native Curacao and began working on his mechanics.

"I just wanted to work out like I did the year before," Jurrjens said. "My goal is just to stay healthy like I did last year."