Atlanta Braves

Heading into Milwaukee, I was feeling pretty good about the Atlanta Braves. Their pitching was phenomenal, their offense came off an 11-run game, and spirits for the team were high. 

They won a series on the road against a team that has given Atlanta fits in the past two years. It looked like the Braves would be able to open at home with a winning record due to their success against Milwaukee. 

The Braves, known as the oldest continuously operating professional sports franchise in America, have seen their fair share of ups and downs during their time in Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta.

Since the franchise first sent players onto the field as Boston Red Stockings in 1871, there have been a countless number of influential players to play for the organization, especially pitchers.

This year's Atlanta Braves pitching staff is no exception.

With the season just a few days old, us fantasy nerds are loving life. The longest and most in-depth fantasy sport has officially kicked off.

A lot depends on how you draft, but us diehard fantasy guru's know it's much more than that. Each year there are multiple waiver wire pickups that can launch your team to the next level. Whether you are looking for an emerging rookie, a veteran hoping to bounce back or a complete surprise player, this season will have it all.

It’s so obvious. I don’t know how all the phans in Philadelphia are missing it. 

The Braves are clearly the team to beat in the NL East. They have it all: pitching, power, superior defense, awesome bench. Everything's there. 

Yet those phans, and most of the national media, just can’t see it.

You wanna talk pitching? Add one part Derek Lowe, one part Tommy Hanson, a handful of Tim Hudson and a pinch of Brandon Beachy (???) and you got a championship rotation, right? 

What an interesting opening series this has been!

The first game of the series was well played by both sides. The pitching was phenomenal and the defense was solid. 

However, some fans, including myself, were slightly uncomfortable with the offensive performance by the Braves. The lineup had only five hits and two runs, both of which are below expectations. Thankfully, Derek Lowe and the bullpen were there to bail the offense out and shut out the Nats. 

The Atlanta Braves have placed Jair Jurrjens on the DL (retroactive to March 25) with an oblique injury.

The team is confident that he wont need more than a week to return to 100 percent. In fact, he’s already scheduled for a rehab start on April 11 at Triple-A Gwinnett, and should be back with the Braves April 16.

Two years ago, Tommy Hanson was the pride and joy of the Atlanta Braves. 

A 22nd-round selection from Riverside Community College in California, Hanson was a product of the Braves' booming farm system and exploded on the scene in 2009 as a 22-year-old rookie.

It was Aug. 10, 2010.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones had just made one of the best defensive plays of his career. The 38-year-old sprinted into foul territory to field a ground ball, gloved it, and made a rocket throw to first in time to get the runner—while in mid-air.

However, before viewers could finish processing what they just saw, Chipper landed awkwardly and the camera zoomed into a close-up shot of Jones' face, wincing in pain.

While Major League Baseball’s Opening Day might be the greatest days ever, it also might be the most overrated. A lot is made of who wins and who loses and a lot is made over game one of 162: John Kruk has already hit the panic button on the Milwaukee Brewers.

However, there are those rare cases when something does happen on Opening Day that sheds some insight into the future. Today’s Opening Day tilt between the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals is an example of that.

During today's 2-0 Atlanta Braves' win over the Washington Nationals, Fredi Gonzalez went with Jonny Venters in the eighth inning and Craig Kimbrel in the ninth for the save.