I gave a few live updates last night on my twitter account of the Braves-Mets game at Turner Field. The starters were Javier Vazquez and Fernando Nieve, and it was a treat to see Vazquez in action. His command of his fastball wasn't the best, but his offspeed stuff was working for him. He showed exactly why solid veteran #2 starters are so valuable, as they can eat innings with quality pitching, despite not having the best command of one of their best pitches. His changeup was an absolute killer late in the game, and despite lacking a truly dominant pitch and also throwing consistently in the low-90s, reaching 94, Vazquez managed 7 innings, allowing only a run on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 5. He never really missed up with his fastball, and that's what made his start so effective, as even without strong command of the pitch, he always missed where the hitter couldn't touch it.
Anyway, I'll also be in attendance for tonight's Braves-Giants game featuring Tommy Hanson against Jonathan Sanchez, and even though I'm excited to see Hanson, I really want to see what kind of stuff Sanchez is throwing after his no-hitter last time out. He hasn't thrown in 10 days, so it will interesting. He's a trade candidate as well, so I'll be keeping an eye out for scouts at the matchup. Another strong start could net the Giants the bat they've wanted all year. The Braves didn't have a particularly strong night with the bat last night, despite plating 7 runs, but their discipline was strong, which is Sanchez' biggest weakness. It will interesting to see how the Braves gameplan Sanchez. I'll be tweeting throughout the game, so follow along.
I'll probably have my Braves' draft review up tomorrow, along with a brief run-through of what I saw during the two games.