Dump the Slump

The Atlanta Braves began the 2009 season by heading into Philadelphia and taking two of three from the World Champs. Following a successful stint in Pennsylvania the Braves swept the Nationals at the Ted. All the woes from the past few seasons seemed to be in the rear-view mirror. The only lurking hole was the bullpen.  

After going 5-1 the Braves dropped 5 straight. The Braves eventually took the series finale versus the Pirates, but are now 6-7 after dropping last nights game to the 1-win Nationals. As a Braves fan I am mildly concerned with where this team is headed. The off-season appeared to be successful. Wren revamped our starting pitching by adding two veterans and Kenshin Kawakami, a SP deemed a better version of the Dodgers Hiroki Kuroda. 

Brian McCann visited an eye-specialist today to receive treatment for his blurred vision. The good news is that apparently his sight problems have been solved with some contact lens. On the other hand, Garret Anderson appears to be headed to the DL to recover from a strain in his left quad. Makes me wonder if signing Tommy Glavine to a 1-year deal was necessary and if the Braves should have forked over some more money for a more reliable OF such as Bobby Abreu. I would not be surprised if the Braves end up dealing some of starting pitching for a power bat. The Braves have a surplus of SP's and could definitely use another pop in the lineup.  

Overall, it is still fairly early and the difference between this Braves team and the past years is that this team expects to win. The Braves are not going to allow the team to continue to fail; most of the players have missed out on the playoffs the past three season and I am sure they have that craving to play post-season ball in October.