NL East Preview: Philadelphia Phillies Must Improve to Beat Braves
April 5, 2010 by Gary Suess
Filed under Fan News
The 2010 major league baseball season officially opens tonight when the arch rival Boston Red Sox take on the World Champion New York Yankees. When Josh Beckett fired his first pitch in Beantown another marathon race to the World Series kicked off.
These two opponents are considered by most pundits to be the top teams in the American League. Consensus favors the Bronx bombers, but if any team is capable of derailing another trip to the fall classic, the Red Sox seem to be the most likely.
Although they need to wait until Monday afternoon, the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington nationals share the honor of opening the National League campaign. A year ago, the Phillies dominated the Nationals on their way to registering their third consecutive NL East title while Washington languished again in last place.
The Phillies still possess a powerhouse team; however, the gap between the two teams has seemed to narrow. This may be especially true when big-ticket rookie flamethrower Stephen Strasburg joins the big club as expected sometime during the season.
In assessing all five teams in the National League East, it would seem that each has improved from a year ago.