OPENING DAY IS HERE: Braves, Phillies clash on Opening Day at SunTrust Park

ATLANTA — With their exhibition games and spring training behind them, the Atlanta Braves prepare to kick off another season Thursday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies for opening day.

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Atlanta begins its second season in its new stadium, and this year the Braves' first three games are at home against the Phillies. Thursday's game begins at 4:10 p.m.

The Braves finished their spring training schedule with a record of 13-18. Despite the record and the team-rebuilding, Braves players like center fielder Ender Inciarte are excited about the new season.

"There's a lot of good vibes in here," Inciarte said in an article with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "We all get along with each other, pull for each other. We're trying to win the most games that we can. Hopefully it's going to be a fun season for everyone. But right now, we're just waiting for Thursday (opening day) to get here."

Philadelphia finished last season with a record of 66-96 and last in the National League East. Atlanta, which finished third in the NL East division, struggled against Philadelphia.

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The Braves went 6-13 against the Phillies last season. The first Braves-Phillies series in 2017 was in April, as the Braves dropped all three games, despite them being close. The Braves saw more success against the Phillies in the second half of the season, going 4-8 and winning two of the final three in the September 2017 three-game homestand.

On Thursday, however, the Braves will look to earn the first of a potential three victories to start the season.

Braves pitcher Julio Teheran will be the starting pitcher on Thursday, marking his fifth-straight opening day start. Against the Mets, Teheran is 1-1 with a 1.88 ERA in his first four, including six scoreless innings against the Mets last year.

With lots of change taking place, the Braves’ roster features lots of young talent like outfielders Ronald Acuna and Mike Soroka, along with infielder Ozzie Albies, to name a few.

Acuna, who was ranked baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect by Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, will be spending some time in the minor league to develop his skills, despite having a solid performance during spring training.

The 20-year-old Acuna recorded a batting average of .432, hit four home runs, 11 RBIs and recorded four stolen bases in 16 spring training games. Acuna also had 19 hits, a .519 on-base percentage and a .727 slugging percentage. Last year, in the Braves minor league teams, Acuna batted .325 with 21 homers, 82 RBIs and 44 stolen bases.

While Acuna is only one player to keep on the Braves' watch list, Albies will be one to remember, as well. Inciarte, in combination with Albies, could play a huge part in the Braves’ success this season.

"They're very dynamic and they can keep the pressure on you in all different aspects," said Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman to the media before Monday's exhibition game. "Obviously, Ender getting 200 hits last year, it'd be nice if he can do that again. Ozzie, the little small sample size we got out of him last year was pretty exciting. So it's going to be a good top of the order."

The Braves are not going to beat any team with high-powered offense and big home runs. Instead, the team will rely on small ball to earn its wins. Having Inciarte and Albies in the lineup helps with this concept.

"The main thing for us is to be on the bases," Inciarte said. "We might not see a lot of home runs, but we have a lot of people who can put the ball in the gap. We just have to be on base. … Just take the extra base hit whenever we get the chance and get in position to score runs."

Freeman, who dealt with some wrist injuries last year, will look to stay healthy this season. Last season, Freeman appeared in 117 games, batted .307, had 135 hits, 28 home runs, a .403 on-base percentage and a .586 slugging percentage. During spring training, the Fountain Valley, California, native recorded 15 hits, two home runs, five RBIs and batted .319.

Change comes with growing pains and kinks to work out. Not to mention, the Braves play in the NL East, one of the toughest divisions in baseball. With the start of the new season, however, Freeman believes the Braves can compete with anyone and must take advantage of playing in front of the home crowd.

“Everybody in this division has their work cut out for them,” Freeman said. “You know it’s going to be a tough division, but we can stack up, and if we do the little things right, we can be right there.

“We’ve got a great atmosphere; great fans. I think this year we’ll really turn it around.”

The Braves will get their chance to turn it around and begin the year on high note Thursday evening at 4:10 p.m.

Clay Cook will be singing the national anthem, and former Braves player Chipper Jones will throw the first pitch.

Cox Media Group