Braves Fans Shouldn't Freak Out About Dallas Keuchel's Loss in Atlanta Debut

Braves fans finally had a chance to watch the long-awaited debut of one Dallas Keuchel against the Washington Nationals on Friday night. While the end result didn't go the Braves way, there were still plenty of positives to take away from Keuchel's first outing.

First, Keuchel's control was rather impressive given his long layoff. His average pitch velocity of 87.6 MPH was the lowest of his career, likely due to the fact he hasn't pitched meaningful innings in months.

Still, all things considered, Keuchel dealt five innings of four-run ball. On most nights, given Atlanta's ridiculous lineup, that's enough to win. And this was just his first start, mind you.

Atlanta jumped out to a 3-0 advantage backed by three shutout frames by Keuchel, leading most fans to assume the 31-year-old lefty had hit the ground running. However, these flaws--which have now been identified early by the Braves coaches--will only help Keuchel in the long run as he hopes to solidify a spot in Atlanta's playoff rotation, should they reach that point.

So yes, a Keuchel win would've been a more desirable outcome, especially against a division rival. Yet, there were far more positives for the veteran lefty on Friday night than negatives, especially given the extreme circumstances which come with making his first outing three months into the regular season.