This was not the type of game that Jim Riggleman hoped the Nationals would play against a team like the Atlanta Braves. The Nats were unable to get a good showing from their defense, and their bullpen let the game get out of hand as they lost by a final of 11-2.
Jordan Zimmermann did not pitch terribly, as he pitched six complete innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits. Against a lineup like Atlanta's, that's not a terrible way to start off your season.
However, it was the defense behind Zimmermann that let him down. Danny Espinoza committed just one error on the scoreboard, but he still did not have his greatest game defensively. He was prone to bobbling balls and not being able to cleanly deliver the ball to first base. It was plays like those that led to Atlanta runs that had to frustrate the manager.
The eighth inning is where things began to get out of hand, as the Braves scored 6 runs to pad their already large lead even more.
For the Nationals, they certainly hope they will not see efforts like today's very often. They played well the first two games of the series and lost one of them, and they'll need to play those style of games to be competitive this year.