Hot'lanta

After having a doubleheader, the baseball schedule gave Pirates fans a day off for travel. Travel to Atlanta. I hope the team made it in enough time.

In going to Atlanta, the team returns to where it all kind of fell apart last season. Granted no one was really expecting things last year to last all season, but one can easily point to that game in Atlanta as where the mentality all changed.

Luckily the team goes to Atlanta, the house of demons since '92, early in the season. Also luckily for the Pirates, perhaps, is that A.J. Burnett is on the hill in the first game of the series. Burnett had a great debut last weekend, hopefully he can replicate his success again.

In his first start, after shaking off some rust, Burnett looked like the type of pitcher his contract may have at one time warranted. Could it have been a one game wonder? Who knows for certain. The guy is still slowly building up his strength for the season, it is essentially early April or even late March for him.

As was the case last year, the team needs to keep taking it one series at a time. They took two of three from Colorado, now they need to look to take two of three from Atlanta. If they do that, the club would be a shade under .500 for the first month, not bad considering the sweep and poor play out west.