Atlanta Braves news and links: Braves continue to trudge through slow start

BRAVES NEWS

Ozuna goes deep twice in Marlins win over Braves

For the third straight series, the Braves helped one of their National League companions open up their ballpark for the 2017 season and for the third straight time, the Braves lost that game. This time it was to the Marlins, who jumped all over Bartolo Colon to start the game and didn’t let up. The Braves offense did well enough by scoring four runs, but it was going to be hard to overcome Marcell Ozuna’s two dingers and six RBI on the evening.

Braves place Kemp on DL and call up Camargo

Tuesday started off a bit rough when the Braves announced that they were putting Matt Kemp on the 10-day disabled list (retroactive to April 8th) due to a hamstring strain. As a result, Johan Camargo was called up and actually made his debut on Tuesday night. For what it’s worth, Kemp is feeling positive about the whole thing and this feels like more of a precaution than anything else. Still, it’s a tiny bit concerning considering his history of injuries.

Does the Braves’ slow start matter all that much?

The Braves are now 1-6, and even with the relatively low expectations for the squad, it’s still a bit of a bummer to watch the team lose some tough games. We’re fans so that’s always going to be frustrating. However, is this slow start indicative of an extremely rough season for the Braves? Our in-house optimist Kyle took a look at some of the Braves’ most recent and notable starts to seasons in an effort to try and figure out if this start is symptomatic of something bigger.

Leaving aside the game that shall never be spoken of to conclude the 2012 season, the Braves got off a to a 1-4 start that year, before quickly rallying to win 10 of the next 11 games and get on a roll that propelled them through most of the summer, as they finished 94-68, four games behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East but enough for a wild card berth.

On the other side of the coin, the Bravos started the season on a five-game winning streak in 2015 and was at .500 over halfway through the year at 42-42, before some injuries and trades devastated the roster, as Atlanta limped home to a 67-95 job.

Teheran will start SunTrust Park opener

First, we figured that R.A. Dickey was going to be the starter for Friday’s home opener against the Padres. Then, when weather in Pittsburgh caused a shift in the rotation, Mike Foltynewicz figured to be in line to open things up in Cobb County. Now, the Braves have decided that Julio Teheran will open up SunTrust Park. Through all of the twists and turns, he’s probably the most appropriate pitcher to open up the new ballpark, right?

MLB NEWS

Cleveland wins home opener in walk-off fashion

The defending AL Champions have gotten off to a tiny bit of a slow start to their 2017 campaign, but maybe returning to Cleveland could be a tonic for their woes. Cleveland once again went to extra innings with a team from Chicago, but things went a little bit better for them this time — Michael Brantley delivered the finishing blow that sent the fans home happy at Progressive Field.

Cespedes hits three dingers as New York crushes Philly

The Phillies had their way with the Nats over the weekend, but the tables were turned when they ran into the Mets this week. New York beat the Phillies 14-4 on Tuesday night, and the biggest reason behind the clobbering was Yoenis Cespedes. He clubbed three homers and also added a double. The Mets had a huge night at the plate, but he was by far the most dangerous man at the plate for New York on the evening.