i think a big part of it is the way last season played out. 92 wins, a +150 RD, and an NLCS is a great season. but actually watching them all year didn't really feel like it. the expectations were still so high for the team that the four months of mediocrity were extremely hard to watch, and the burst at the end felt more like a relief than an achievement. then the season ended and the focus shifted to fixing the rotation and then avoiding the mediocrity again to start 2018. so even though this is only 3 weeks of baseball, it feels like they're just right back in that aggravating purgatory that they spent most of last season in, and it's even more aggravating not knowing when/if it will turn around this time. i wasn't asking for a hot start, i just wanted them to be solid to start the season, like they should be.