Evaluating Smoltz's debut

Zach Hayes is traveling today, and asked me to fill-in, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on John Smoltz's debut and start a discussion about it. Here goes... Smoltz took the mound at Nationals Park with the Red Sox looking to secure a sweep in the Nation's Capital. He was tasked with neutralizing an underrated Washington offense, which ranked ninth in the majors with a .343 team OBP coming in, and with besting opposing starter Jordan Zimmermann, a promising rookie who had logged a 2.16 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over his previous three starts. On the surface, Smoltz appeared to do neither, taking the loss in a 9-3 defeat. But if you dig deeper, consider that Smoltz hadn't started a big league game since April 27th of last year, and offer the 42 year-old some sympathy in light of the inherent jitters involved in putting on a new uniform for the first time in two decades, his first start as a member of the Red Sox really doesn't look so bad. Sure, Smoltz d...