Nationals starter Livan Hernandez pitched well.
The Braves’ Derek Lowe was better.
And that could be the running theme for Washington’s 2011 season.
In a well-pitched game, the Nationals lost 2-0 to the Braves on Opening Day on Thursday at Nationals Park. Washington starter Livan Hernandez gave up two runs in 61Ú3 innings, and his only real mistake was a solo home run to young Braves slugger Jason Heyward in the second inning.
“I thought Livo was outstanding,” Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said.
Lowe didn’t last as long as Hernandez, but he gave up no runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings.
“He was real good,” Riggleman said. “Going back to last year, early in the year it seemed like we got him a couple of times, and then the last few times we saw him last year he was real good.”
Even if you believe the Nationals will be an improved team over the squad that has lost 298 games over the last three seasons — including 93 last year — guess what? Most days, the pitcher facing the Nationals will be “real good” — better than the pitcher the Nats are sending out there, particularly in the National League East.
That doesn’t mean the best pitcher will always win. But Washington will be pitching from behind in a number of matchups.
Look at Saturday’s game against Atlanta — John Lannan vs. Tommy Hanson. Advantage, Hanson — the Braves’ top young pitching prospect.
On Sunday it’s Jordan Zimmermann — full of promise and uncertainty coming off Tommy John surgery — against Tim Hudson, who won 17 games and was named NL comeback player of the year last season. Advantage, Hudson.
This is life for the new and improved Nationals in the NL East — facing better pitching on a regular basis. They have to face Florida’s Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez.
And did I mention the Phillies’ Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels?
Washington has to play the Phillies, Braves and Marlins 54 times over the course of a season — one-third of the schedule.
That’s a lot of good pitching to overcome.
Early in a baseball season, pitching is typically going to be ahead of hitting, so you could make the case that both Lowe and Hernandez were at an advantage, particularly on a cold day like Thursday.
But whether it is March 31 or the final two weeks — when the Nationals face Marlins, Phillies and Braves over the last 12 games of the season — when the other team sends a better pitcher to the mound, winning is harder.
“When you really pitch good, you shut down good hitting,” Riggleman said. “Well, I think we’ve got a good hitting ball club. But good pitching shut us down today.”
The Nationals are going to have to figure a way to get around that because they are going to face a lot of good pitching this year.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
