Kuzul

The Philadelphia Phillies fell to the Atlanta Braves 7-5 in their first game of the 2013 season, but it wasn’t all bad news.

Cole Hamels and Chad Durbin struggled on the mound, Chase Utley brought life to the offense and newcomers made their debuts. It is a much different Phillies team than a few years ago, when it had the best rotation in all of baseball and was considered a title contender. Now, the Phillies try to put a .500 season behind them as they set out to retake the NL East throne from the Washington Nationals.

So, what did we learn about the Phillies on Opening Night?

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The first round is over. Big names went down (Mexico, Canada, Venezuela, Korea) and underdogs rose up (Netherlands, Italy). Powerhouses like the USA and the Dominican Republic looked impressive, as did Japan and Cuba. A lot of well-known MLB players didn’t show up, but some did along with international stars who are studs in their own leagues.

So, who are the individual winners and losers so far in this year’s classic? 

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The Philadelphia Phillies finally relinquished the crown to the emerging Washington Nationals squad in the surprising NL East division last season. The headline-grabbing Miami Marlins finished last in the division after having such high hopes and the New York Mets? Well, they were the same Mets we’ve come to know over the years: lack of production that leads to lack of effort. The Atlanta Braves had another solid year, but have still yet to make that breakthrough to become a true contender. So what does the 2013 season hold for these teams?

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