When the Atlanta Braves decided to switch John Smoltz from his role as a closer back to that of starting pitcher, their main concern was whether his arm could handle the increase in innings pitched.
If he keeps pitching like he did on Tuesday, that won't be too hard a call to make.
Smoltz, making his first start in nearly four years, could only retire five batters, while giving up six earned runs in a start that matched the shortest of his career.
The Florida Marlins came out swinging against Smoltz in the first inning. After Smoltz walked Luis Castillo and then struck out number two batter, Miguel Cabrera came through with a base hit.
Smoltz still appeared to be in good shape after striking out Marlins newcomer Carlos Delgado for the second out. But, that's when things started to get ugly.
After fouling off four pitches, third baseman Mike Lowell hammered out an RBI single to put the Marlins in front. Catcher Paul Lo Duca followed with a single that would load the bases and set the game up for some fireworks. Two pitches later, Juan Encarnacion came through in a big way with his second career grand slam to give the Marlins the 5-0 lead.
Smoltz didn't fare much better in the second inning, giving up a two-run single to Delgado to blow the game wide open. After allowing the hit, Smoltz made way for reliever Jorge Sosa. The Braves would go on to lose the game 9-0, as Smoltz's ERA would inflate to 32.40.
The poor start for Smoltz was a bad beginning for what the Braves had hoped would be a smooth transition from closer to starter. Smoltz has been very effective in the closing role the past few years for the Braves, a position he picked up after being sidelined with Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament suffered in June of 2001.
The Braves are banking on Smoltz, formerly an All-Star starter, to anchor what appears to be a much-improved pitching staff. In the off-season, the Braves traded for Braves' rotation will consist of Mike Hampton, John Thompson and promising young arm Horacio Ramirez to round out the Braves' rotation.
The Braves think they have a gem in Ramirez. Last year, the 25-year old lefty emerged to throw 242 innings for the Braves, compiling a sterling 3.60 ERA.
In the bullpen, the Braves acquired underrated closer Dan Kolb from the Milwaukee Brewers. Last year, Kolb notched 39 saves with a 2.98 ERA in his first year on the job. He doesn't throw the ball hard, but he is excellent at keeping it in the park, and the Braves are counting on Kolb to repeat last season's success. He started the season off well, allowing no runs in a save on Wednesday in the Braves' 2-1 triumph in 13 innings.
In the offseason, much of the talk around the National League centered on all the improvement by the New York Mets after they added Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez. Yet, while everyone expected big things out of the Mets, it has been the Cincinnati Reds making the splash thus far, taking the first three games from the Mets.
In the opener, Martinez overcame a rocky first inning to knife through the Reds' lineup, striking out 12 of his last 14 batters. Martinez left the game after six innings when his team grabbed a 6-3 lead.
With a homerun by Beltran in the game, it appeared that the newcomers would be making a statement on opening day. But instead, it was the resilient Reds celebrating when the game was over. Mets' closer Braden Looper allowed four runs in the bottom of the ninth to cough up the save and the game.
First, Adam Dunn connected for a three-run homer, his second of the game, to tie the score and then one batter later, new addition Joe Randa connected for a solo shot to give the Reds the victory. Randa continued his heroics with his new team the next day by hitting an eighth inning grand slam to break open the game and give the Reds a 9-5 victory. If the Cincinnati can stay healthy and maybe find some pitching, they could be in the playoff hunt this year.
