Alright Braves fans

[ssgaufan]

What did you think about last nights performance?  I was pleased with how the defense played, and how Lowe pitched.  I really think Lowe was money well spent, and Gonzalez (sp?) can't be the best choice for a closer.  Chipper looked good at the plate as always, but he got smoked down the line in the bottom of the ninth, which led to the lone run posted by the defending champs. 

Not bad overall, and what better way to start the season than with a win, on the road, against the defending champs.

[Snaggletiger]

The Braves look solid throughout the starting line up.  I like the addition of Anderson.  Like any team, they don't have much room for error if a couple of key guys get injured.  But, if the starters stay relatively healthy, they should make some noise and at least be a playa in their division at the end. 

You have to believe that Francouer will bounce back from that season from hell he had last year.  Not real sold on Kelly Johnson in the lead off spot.

[Thrilla]

Lowe's pitching performance exceeded my expectations.  You know, he's a very Greg Maddux-like pitcher (who, by the way, had his Braves' number retired by the organization last week).  He throws lots of junk where the bottom or side just falls out near the plate.  We all saw the result, which is lots of ground balls.  The infield is loving playing behind him.  I'm a little nervous about Gonzales being the closer but there's lots of ball left.

The bats were phenomenal last night.  Only Kelly Johnson sucked it up.  What about the rookie center fielder Jordan Schafer?  He reached base in his first two major league at-bats, one of which was a homerun.  He hadn't had anything but double A experience up to that point.  The damn kid looks about 16 but he has real potential.  No doubt due to copius HGH usage.

[Snaggletiger]

When Gonzales was with the Pirates, he was wicked tough.  I believe he was out all last year after arm surgery. ( I think that's what it was)  His stuff was actually pretty nasty the other night.  he just didn't have his control down.  He's got a live arm and his pitches break all over the place.  I think if he gets his control in check, he'll be okay.