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It’s the day we’ve all been anticipating: the first day of the season where every major-league team has at least one win in the bank. For the Braves and the Twins, that day came a little bit later than they would’ve liked. After nine losses and a brutal four-game sweep in Washington D.C., the Braves mustered up a three-run lead and their first season win against the Marlins, who are hosting their division rival through the weekend. The Twins, meanwhile, tried desperately to give the lead to the visiting Angels, but were foiled at the last minute and came through to net their first win, 5-4.
Now, there are wins, and there are wins. The difference between a team at the bottom of the 2016 NL East means something different than a team at the bottom of the 2016 AL Central. For one thing, the Twins were pegged to win roughly 74 games this season and, if all went according to plan, maybe make a last-minute grab for a wild card spot. Granted, their offseason moves were limited to the acquisition of slugger Byung Ho Park and a handful of minor league deals, but an 83-win season in 2015 isn’t the worst foundation to build on, even if they’re hanging all their hopes on rapid prospect development. The Braves, on the other hand, were projected for a league-worst 64 wins in 2016, and, even in a division where the Phillies and Marlins regularly battle for last place, any hope of locking down a postseason berth is almost definitely prevented by the Nationals and Mets, among others.
Of course, just because the Braves and Twins managed to pull out a pair of wins doesn’t necessarily mean their bad luck is over. Even after scoring five runs in a single game — over a fourth of their total run production for the year — the Twins still manufactured the fewest runs of any team, with 19 on the season. And, though the Braves have fared marginally better with their 30 runs, they’ve also allowed 58 runs through 10 games, the third-most in the league and an average of 5.8 runs per game. While both teams displayed some fortitude in their last performances, rallying to gain and preserve narrow leads over their competition, the stuff of true dominance was lacking — and that’s something they’ll have to find if they’re serious about contending during the rest of the season.
- The Giants would be grateful to Clayton Kershaw if, maybe just once, he wouldn’t pitch so well against them.
- Pablo Sandoval’s shoulder injury may be worse than originally suspected, which could lead to further complications in his career with the Red Sox.
- If Wily Peralta can’t salvage the rest of his starts, he may find himself pitching out of the Brewers’ bullpen instead.
- The Blue Jays’ lineup is leaving them vulnerable in late-game situations, but a few tweaks could optimize their batting order and help them wriggle out of last-minute jams.
- Why isn’t Masahiro Tanaka using his four-seam fastball anymore?
- Cardinals’ rookie Jeremy Hazelbaker is keeping some pretty illustrious company in the first nine games of his major-league career. Whether or not that will translate to an illustrious career of his own remains to be seen.
- Joe Mauer may not be the slugger he was four years ago, but he’s still the most fearsome hitter on the Twins’ roster.
- Could a Ryan Hanigan trade be on the docket for the Red Sox and their surfeit of catchers?
- The Reds are on the brink of something great, which makes 2016 one of the best seasons to be a fan.
