The Braves start and finish with pitching, and this year’s staff is anchored by free agent acquisition Derek Lowe. Lowe is a proven winner that is also a heady veteran that should be able to help the youngsters around him. Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens, and Kenshin Kawakami are all penciled in to be in the rotation. Tom Glavine also returns to his old stomping grounds to give added depth.

Brian McCann has developed into one of the best catchers in the league, especially at the plate. The tough young catcher can hit with any catcher in the league, and is quickly becoming a weapon that can be used higher in the lineup. David Ross is a capable backup as well.

One of the biggest question marks right now is how quickly Garret Anderson can adapt to the National League. If he can provide that steady bat in the middle of the lineup that the Braves are hoping for, they might just contend. The Braves have some good talent to work with, and adding a proven guy like Anderson is sure to help.

The continued development of Kelly Johnson, Casey Kotchman, and Yunel Escobar in the infield is another key to the Braves fortunes. Chipper is steady, if not a bit fragile, and his bat is still among the best in the league. Each of these players has an important role to fill, and they will be needed to perform if the Braves can advance and compete for the National League title.

The Atlanta Braves are a bit of a long shot is the division to say the least. The last three seasons have been bitter disappointments for them, and they are looking to exercise those demons. If the Braves can control their mistakes, and keep the pitching steady, then they should be able to generate enough runs to win consistently. If they struggle on the mound, however, they will quickly see a repeat of last year’s results. With the addition of Lowe and Anderson, however, I doubt that will be the case.

This year’s World Baseball Classic seems to have a completely different atmosphere among Team USA. The team has a serious attitude for one, and they are no longer looking at it like an unimportant warm up to the season. The players are pumped and it showed in this opening round game that came down to the wire.

Team USA used some serious power, and a great bullpen performance to hold off Canada for the win. Brian McCann, Adam Dunn, and Kevin Youkilis each homered for the Americans, and each was special in some way.

Things did not start out as great as Team USA might have liked, however. They trailed after Team USA starter Jake Peavy allowed a huge, towering home run to Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto to put the Canadians ahead 2-1. At this point, the Americans probably felt like they might be in for another run for their money. Still, Team USA used the bullpen to help control a better than expected Canadian lineup the rest of the way. They gave up only five hits over the final five innings.

The ninth inning was really exciting as the Americans closer JJ Putz first gave up an RBI double to Votto. This closed the Canadians to 6-5 and raised the excitement level there in Toronto to a fever pitch. With Votto primed to score the tying run, Putz then settled in and retired Justin Morneau and Jason Bay in succession for the win. That was no small feat as both of these players are all stars and tough outs for sure.

Team USA is sure to be looking to win some games in an easier fashion, but they will certainly take them any way they can get them. The World Baseball Classic is a seriously competitive tournament that pits the best in the world against one another. The Americans have a personal stake in the tournament, however, since baseball is considered a National Past time. Hopefully, Team USA can bring home the title this year.

Next up for Team USA is Sunday at 8 pm ET against the winner between Italy and Venezuela. Team Canada plays the loser of that game on Monday.