HOUSTON -- We begin today's blog with a history lesson.
When at long last our Founding Fathers finally defeated the British and secured freedom and independence from King George III, His Majesty's troops formed a line and marched with fife and drum back to ship, and back to Mother England.
The tune they played? "A World Turned Upside Down."
And that's the theme today while looking at the MLB standings after the opening weekend.
In the AL, Baltimore and Seattle enjoy divisional leads after combining for 188 losses last season. In the NL, the Mets are
3-0 after finishing 25 games behind the Phillies in 2011. Houston, tonight's Braves opponent, at 2-1 is over the .500 mark for the first time since 2009!
Meanwhile, the Braves, Giants, Red Sox and Yankees all have started 0-3. Upside down? You bet.
What does it mean?
Probably not very much.
The last Braves team to start 0-3 was a 2003 squad that ended up winning 101 games and won the NL East by 10 games, and its probably a safe bet to predict that four of the remaining five winless teams (Minnesota is the other) will be in the playoff chase before the calendar turns to June.
Having said that, however, some early observations after the Braves-Mets series in New York:
1. The Braves have to be encouraged with the work of Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens in their first starts after injury-filled seasons last year. Tommy gave up 1 run in 5 innings. Jurrjens allowed 2 solo HR's but got more comfortable as his start rolled into the fifth inning.
2. Situational hitting still a problem: Dating back to the last 38 games of 2011, the Braves are hitting an amazingly low .185 with runners in scoring position. As this offense doesn't appear to be one that will manufacture a ton of runs, and is comprised of virtually the same players from 2011, the Braves MUST cash in the opportunities they get. In fact, the Braves were the last team in MLB with a hit with RISP this year -- that hit came in the seventh inning of Sunday's game.
3. The Braves' bullpen is being used differently. With Kris Medlen, Livan Hernandez and Christhian Martinez all serving as long relief men, the Braves can use their first reliever for multiple innings. Medlen looked terrific, and Livan truly "pitches." Both are going to be fun to watch.
4. The Braves need help vs. LHP. Atlanta will face four lefties in the first six games. Johan Santana, Jonathan Niese and Tim Byrdak handcuffed them in New York. That trio pitched 12 innings, and allowed just four hits, two earned runs, and piled up 14 strikeouts. With JA Happ and Wandy Rodriquez lurking in Houston, that needs to turn around right away.
Finally, Houston. Its the final year for the Astros in the National League. With new ownership in place, the Astros move to the AL West in 2013. After suffering their first 100-plus loss season last year, the Astros are off to a good start, winning a home series against the Rockies. The Astros have a winning record for the first time since July 29, 2009. The reason? Starting pitching. Bud Norris, Lucas Harrell and Wandy Rodriquez have given up just five walks and 13 hits in 20 1/3 innings, and are 3-for-3 in quality starts.
A nice start indeed for a club building at the major league level and building for a bright new future in a new league in 2013.
The Braves handed Houston five of its 106 losses last season. Minute Maid Park is a hitter's palace, and the Braves' bats seemed more lively in the final three innings Sunday. Let's hope history repeats itself with regard to the Braves-Astros matchups. For I'm sure everyone in Braves Country prefers the world and the Eastern Division standings to be right side up.
Until next time ...
