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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2011 1:47:20 GMT -5
Atlanta Braves @ Washington Nationals
ATL: Stephen Strasburg (2013: 17-11, 3.34) WAS: Jenrry Mejia (2013: 9-8, 3.84)
On Monday, April 7th, thousands of fans will pour into stadiums nationwide to celebrate the return of the PBL. Thirteen teams will head deep into enemy territory, looking to secure the first victory of the season, while the defenders do all they can to prevent it. One match-up, in particular, will have fans at the edge of their seats-- desperate to find out what 2014 will bring.
The World Champion Atlanta Braves head into Nationals Park for Washington's home opener. At this time last year, the Nationals were the unparalleled favorite to win the division. Boasting a roster full of young, promising talent, the Nats were the trendy pick to lead the National League.
Even by the All-Star Break it was readily apparent that things weren't going according to plan.
The Nationals struggled to take command of what was considered a weak division, and ended the year at .500, finishing behind both the Phillies and the Braves.
Philadelphia finished five games out of the wild card, but the division leading Braves got to continue their season.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Following their triumphant postseason, the Braves trot into DC as World Champions. They will lead the series off with ace Stephen Strasburg, once the crown jewel prospect of the Nats organization; a not-so-subtle backhanded slap aimed at the Washington brass and fanbase. It will be interesting to see how he is received by the fans. Will he become a target of revenge? Or just a painful reminder of what could have been?
NOTES: - Washington's Dan Haren is still rumored to be at least a couple of months from resuming baseball activities. Haren suffered torn elbow ligaments while pitching down the stretch last August.
-Atlanta's Grady Sizemore has been swinging the bat, and throwing the baseball, but will resume in Florida for a few days of extended Spring Training. The Braves' dynamic center fielder broke his little finger on a headfirst slide in early March, but team officials assure that he will be available before the end of the series.
- Strasburg has an unbeaten streak of 10 games, dating back to August 15th, 2013.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2011 4:52:00 GMT -5
I'd like to ask a few questions. If last year was any indication this game will likely go down to the wire. How confident should Adam Olson be with a shaky bullpen?
As for Atlanta, terrific players, Adam Dunn and Yunel Escobar are elsewhere. Do the Braves, with only an average offense last season, have enough punch to beat Mejia and down the line, repeat?
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Post by Dustin Ackley on May 28, 2011 9:21:40 GMT -5
I'd like to ask a few questions. If last year was any indication this game will likely go down to the wire. How confident should Adam Olson be with a shaky bullpen? As for Atlanta, terrific players, Adam Dunn and Yunel Escobar are elsewhere. Do the Braves, with only an average offense last season, have enough punch to beat Mejia and down the line, repeat? Adam Dunn and his .195 average has been replaced by a combination of Cody Johnson and Rule V pick Reymond Fuentes. While Cody had a poor spring, he does have power potential to almost match Dunn. He's coming off a year where in AAA he hit .274 - 35 HR - 93 RBI's. Fuentes is coming off an outstanding spring and raked last year while splitting time between AA and AAA. With Escobar in Boston, he will be replaced by 22 year old Edward Salcedo who hopefully will hold down the fort. The Braves aren't expecting much from him offensively and are slightly worried if he will be able to put it together for a full season but his defense will help the pitching staff. Another year of development for Strasburg - Hanson - Chacin, and hopefully one more year in the sun for Wandy Rodriguez... With Ackley and Zimmerman and rookie standout RSF, the Braves should be around to battle for the division again this year!
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2011 9:34:11 GMT -5
I feel that the NL East is, on the whole, a weaker division than it has been in the past. I feel like the Nats were a better team than their 81-81 record showed last year (as evidenced by their 90-72 record based on Pythagorean expectation) and the weaker division should only help that.
I said it last year after the Rays won it all, and I'll say it again: It's hard to repeat as champs. So many things can go wrong, it's never a given that the best team will walk away victorious. I don't think Atlanta has what it takes to repeat or that the Nationals have the depth to finish, and if Miami so much as sniffs either of these teams by the time June rolls around, they'll run away with the division (with or without pitching).
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2011 14:45:44 GMT -5
I feel that the NL East is, on the whole, a weaker division than it has been in the past. I feel like the Nats were a better team than their 81-81 record showed last year (as evidenced by their 90-72 record based on Pythagorean expectation) and the weaker division should only help that. I said it last year after the Rays won it all, and I'll say it again: It's hard to repeat as champs. So many things can go wrong, it's never a given that the best team will walk away victorious. I don't think Atlanta has what it takes to repeat or that the Nationals have the depth to finish, and if Miami so much as sniffs either of these teams by the time June rolls around, they'll run away with the division (with or without pitching). Part of the Nats struggles compared to their a 2 plus b 2 = c 2 might have to do with their awful bullpen, but I think they have more talent top to bottom this season. If I'm the Braves, and I won the title, seeing Rule V players and Triple A call-ups replacing my big stars would be discouraging if I were a Braves fan. Dunn only hit .195 but he hit the ball hard when he made contact. I have a feeling this Braves lineup will struggle. The Marlins are lurking, but they're still a year away at least, though he could deal some of his prospects for a superstar if he's close at the deadline and wants to go that route.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2011 15:20:59 GMT -5
By the way, I think the Braves take this one 3-1.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2011 19:33:40 GMT -5
Postgame Wrapup
Nationals 1 - Braves 0 (11)
The Braves pitching was once again championship-caliber.
Too bad their hitting wasn't.
Pinch hitter Chris Marrero drove in Danny Payne in the 11th inning for the game's first and only run, leading the Nats to a 1-0 win to start off the season.
Jeremy Hellickson was sharp to start the game, working 7.1 innings of scoreless ball, before turning the ball over to Tyler Clippard for 1.2 perfect innings. Chad Qualls recorded six out for the win.
Atlanta's pitching was superb. Stephen Strasburg, fresh off another huge postseason, struck out 10 and allowed only seven hits and a walk in eight shutout innings. Peter Moylan worked a scoreless ninth and Dan Wheeler a scoreless 10th, before Marrero's heroics off Wheeler in the 11th.
Atlanta only managed eight hits, however, and went 1-6 with runners in scoring position.
Their best chance to score came in the 6th when Luis Oliveros pulled a single through the left side hole with runners on first and second. However, Payne made a great throw to the plate to nail Riaan Spanjer-Furstenberg at the plate and preserve the shutout.
The game was a perfect example of why critics are skeptical over Atlanta's offense, and subsequent chances of repeating as the team didn't deliver a single extra base hit.
Meanwhile for Washington, despite Dan Haren's injury, Hellickson looked every bit like a dominant ace in his stead. A former premier prospect, Hellickson has had good, but hardly-great seasons to begin his major league career, but his 2014 debut could hint at better things.
Important things to take away: What does Anthony Valentine plan on doing in case the offense doesn't come together? Is Stephen Strasburg the best pitcher in the game? How likely will Hellickson continue his success? And how impressive was Payne with two hits, the game's lone run, and a masterful defensive play to preserve the tie?
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Post by Dustin Ackley on May 28, 2011 20:23:40 GMT -5
Important things to take away: What does Anthony Valentine plan on doing in case the offense doesn't come together? Anthony Valentine is too busy staring at his World Series Ring to worry about.... ooooooh shiny!
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2011 20:26:51 GMT -5
Important things to take away: What does Anthony Valentine plan on doing in case the offense doesn't come together? Anthony Valentine is too busy staring at his World Series Ring to worry about.... ooooooh shiny! hahahahaha!
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Post by Derek _ Red Sox on May 28, 2011 21:48:22 GMT -5
LOL
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2011 22:36:56 GMT -5
Danny Payne... Sigh. The one that got away.
Does anyone else think that Rule 5 picks pan out way too often?
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Post by Dustin Ackley on May 28, 2011 22:43:26 GMT -5
So Shiny...
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2011 9:30:56 GMT -5
So Shiny... Came out good haha I wasn't expecting anything after how you told me it was going. haha
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Post by Dustin Ackley on May 29, 2011 10:00:53 GMT -5
So Shiny... Came out good haha I wasn't expecting anything after how you told me it was going. haha Hahahaha. Yeah.... It was a pain in the ass. Once I downloaded a trial to download Adobe Photoshop it became a lot easier.
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