Atlanta Braves Lose to New York Mets: 5 Things We Learned from Loss

The Atlanta Braves opened the season with a 1-0 loss to the New York Mets.

And there's nothing I hate more than losing a game 1-0, a game in which you should have won.

There were a lot of positives coming out of the Braves' performance, but there were also some negatives that will be highlighted.

But one thing is for sure, it's not time to start panicking.

There are still 161 games to go in the season. This loss will have no bearing on where the Braves finish in the division at the end of the season.

However, here is a look at five things we learned from the season-opening loss at the Mets.

5. Tommy Hanson Looked Superb

Sans the sixth inning, Tommy Hanson looked great in his first outing of the season.

Over the course of five-plus innings, the right-hander gave up four hits and struck out four.

Unfortunately, one of those hits was an RBI single by Mets third baseman David Wright that gave the Mets the only run of the game.

Before that, Hanson did a good job of mixing his pitches and even had a pickoff of Andres Torres in the third inning.

4. Welcome Back, Kris Medlen

I know Kris Medlen made two appearances late last season, but it was nice to see him on the mound again with a full offseason to prepare to pitch.

As I stated in a previous article, having the combination of Medlen, Livan Hernandez and Cristhian Martinez in the bullpen gives the Braves many multiple-inning options, helping save the back end of the bullpen.

I liked the fact that manager Fredi Gonzalez let him pitch two innings, but...

3. Old Habits Die Hard

While I'm glad Jonny Venters didn't give up a run in the bottom of the eighth, I wasn't so sure that he wouldn't.

After intentionally walking Jason Bay to load the bases, Venters was able to strike out Lucas Duda to leave the bases loaded.

But my question is, why was Venters in the game?

I felt Medlen was pitching well, and we all know he was good for another inning. Going to Venters when it seemed like he didn't need to carries the notion that Gonzalez isn't ready to put other relievers in key late-inning situations.

But the move worked, so I won't complain anymore on that.

2. Did You See That Speed?

The one thing I noticed on Tyler Pastornicky's seventh-inning triple was his speed.

He put a nice swing on the ball and took advantage of Andres Torres misplaying the ball, as it rolled all the way to the wall.

Pastornicky flew around second and got into third with no throw.

His speed was evident on the basepaths, and it's something I'm looking forward to watching throughout the season.

1. Same Problem, Different Season

The Braves had opportunities on two different occasions to score a run or multiple runs.

The first came in the top of the fifth with the bases loaded and two outs. Michael Bourn came to the plate and got ahead in the count.

Then, he grounded back to the pitcher for the third out.

In the seventh inning, the Braves once again had a runner on third base thanks to Pastornicky's triple, and only had one out.

Jose Constanza and Bourn both came up, and both sat right back down after striking out.

The Mets brought in the back end of their bullpen to close the door in the eighth and ninth innings, and that's all she wrote.

If the Braves hope to win a division title, they have to do a better job at hitting with runners in scoring position. And it all starts with Bourn at the top of the lineup.

But, like I said before, it's only the first game of the season, and we still have a long way to go.

I'm just hoping there's a better offensive showing on Saturday against the Mets' R.A. Dickey and his knuckleball.