Phillies at Braves
The Atlanta Braves endured a miserable weekend in Chicago, but return home to open a seven-game homestand Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies feeling good about the start to their season. The Braves, who were rained out Sunday after blowing an eight-run lead to the Cubs in an epic Saturday meltdown, nonetheless are 8-6 on the season and finished 4-4 on the three-city, eight-game road trip against three teams that reached the playoffs last season.
“If you’d have told me in the middle of March that we’d be sitting where we are, I’d have been fine,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker told the media after Sunday’s game was postponed. The Phillies also are playing well through the season’s early days, extending their winning streak to six games behind red-hot rookie Scott Kingery with Sunday’s 10-4 victory at Tampa Bay. Kingery has 12 RBIs in his past eight games, and belted a three-run double to help Philadelphia build a commanding 10-3 advantage Sunday. “We’re rolling right now and having fun with it,” Kingery told reporters afterward. “I think one of the big things is everybody is positive out there, no matter if we’re down a couple of runs or up a couple of runs.” The series is a rematch of the season-opening set in Atlanta, taken by the Braves two games to one, and both teams enter swinging the bats well as Atlanta is averaging 5.9 runs per game on the season while the Phillies have scored 6.2 runs per game during their winning streak.
TV: 7:35 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia Plus, FS Southeast (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Aaron Nola (1-0, 1.96 ERA) vs. Braves RH Julio Teheran (0-1, 7.07)
Nola pitched brilliantly against the Braves in the season opener, giving up one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings before being removed after 68 pitches in a game Atlanta would rally to win. Nola picked up his first victory of the season Tuesday against Cincinnati, allowing one run on three hits in eight stellar innings with six strikeouts. The 24-year-old has held opponents to a .161 batting average and just two extra-base hits through three starts.
Any conversation about Teheran starts with his struggles at home, where in 19 career games at SunTrust Park the 27-year-old is 3-10 with a 6.20 ERA and 21 homers allowed in 101 2/3 innings. He gave up three longballs in 2 1/3 innings at home against Washington on April 3, five days after he surrendered four runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings in the season opener against the Phillies. Teheran pitched well in an April 9 loss at Washington, giving up two runs on five hits in six innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Atlanta 2B Ozzie Albies already has five games with multiple extra-base hits this season, and leads the majors with 14 extra-base hits (eight doubles, one triple, five homers).
2. Philadelphia scored four runs in the third inning Sunday, and so far this season has tallied 39 runs in the opening three frames combined as compared to 40 runs scored in all the other innings.
3. The Phillies seek their first seven-game winning streak since September 2012.