Sep 24, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder
Evan Gattis(24) gets tagged out by Milwaukee Brewers second baseman
Scooter Gennett(2) after a run down during the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Braves and Brewers kick off the season today.
It’s Opening Day for the Braves at long last! The last real game the Braves played ended in heartbreak, in NLDS Game 4 against the Dodgers. But it’s now a new season, a new slate, and a new chance for redemption for the team. They kick it off today by facing the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee starting at 2:1opm Eastern. The game will be shown on SportsSouth, and can be heard on radio along the Braves Radio Network (680 the Fan in Atlanta), with Jim Powell and Don Sutton making the calls for their 6th consecutive year.
Julio Teheran will face off against Brewers “ace” Yovani Gallardo (hopefully the Braves can Go-Yard-O off of him). Gallardo is a long-time Brewer, who has struggled in recent years, as his fWAR has dropped each of the last 4 seasons, all the way to the 1.7 mark he attained last season. His fastball velocity has declined, causing him to use it less often in favor of a slider which has had varying degrees of effectiveness. Meanwhile, Teheran posted great numbers in his age 22 rookie season, and after a remarkable Spring Training is poised to improve in 2014.
The two teams’ Opening Lineups today look like:
"Atlanta Braves @BravesToday’s lineup at MIL (2:10, SS/680AM/BRN): Heyward 9 BUpton 8 Freeman 3 Johnson 5 JUpton 7 Uggla 4 Gattis 2 Simmons 6 Teheran 1MLBLineups @mlblineups 3/31 @Brewers lineup vs ATL: Gomez CF Segura SS Braun RF Ramirez 3B Lucroy C Davis LF Overbay 1B Gennett 2B Gallardo P"
It’s baseball, and anything can happen, but I dare say that the Braves lineup looks much better (especially with Teheran starting), so it would be swell to get a win today and get started on the right foot, by spoiling another team’s home opener.
Poll
With today being the first day of real baseball for the Braves, we at Tomahawk Take would like to conduct a poll about our readership’s expectation/confidence in the team this season. Please take a second to vote!
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