Don't Jump to Conclusions About Dallas Keuchel's Season Debut Friday

It only took a couple weeks and two minor league starts after signing for him to get ready, but veteran left-hander Dallas Keuchel is set to make his Atlanta Braves debut Friday night in Washington D.C.

This is big news for a Braves teams that is playing their best baseball of the season, adding a former Cy Young Award winner to the rotation to take them to another level.

However, no matter how sublimely or brutally he pitches Friday night, let's not jump to conclusions either way after just one start.

Obviously, the Braves and their fans hope he doesn't get blown out in his first start against a division foe, but if he doesn't toss seven shutout innings, it's surely not the end of the world, especially with such a standings cushion.

By any metric, there's a lot of season left to play, and Atlanta signed him to anchor their postseason rotation, not go the distance in a game in June.

We are inching closer to the halfway mark of the regular season and Keuchel will be making his first start of the season. It would be ridiculous to expect him to be primed and ready to go after such a late start.

Just sit back and enjoy having a legit big league starter who has postseason pedigree. Embrace the imagery, and let it settle in your mind for when October comes. This won't be the last time you see such things. That's what matters.