Phillies at Braves: 2013 Opening Day Game Preview

At long last, the new season is upon us. With the Phillies out of the postseason for the first time in six seasons last year, the time between their last contest and the following season's opener was certainly longer than most fans in the Philly region had grown accustomed to. But, after a considerable wait, a chance to reclaim the top spot in the National League East division is about to begin.

Opening the season on the road, the Phillies will send lefty ace Cole Hamels to the mound at Atlanta's Turner Field to take on right-handed veteran Tim Hudson.

Monday, 7:05 PM. Cole Hamels (17-6, 3.05 ERA in 2012) vs. Tim Hudson (16-7, 3.62 ERA in 2012). The 29-year-old Hamels posted a 7-2 record with a 2.87 ERA in 14 second half starts last season. In four starts againt Atlanta last year, Hamels went 1-1 with a 2.77 ERA and a .221 batting average against. In 15 career outings at Turner Field, Hamels has a 5-4 record along with a 4.18 ERA. In his career against Hamels, Dan Uggla is 8-for-55 (.145 average). Hudson had a 3-1 record with a 3.99 ERA in five starts against the Phillies last season. In 116 career games at Turner Field, Hudson sports a 3.22 ERA. Michael Young is 9-for-28 (.321 average) with a double in his career against Hudson. Ryan Howard is a career .322 hitter with three doubles and seven homers in his career against Hudson.

Former Braves 1st round draft pick Jason Heyward is a career .207 hitter with three home runs in 46 games against the Phillies. The lefty hitter tallied a .761 OPS at home last season.

Justin Upton is a .321 hitter with four homers and nine RBI in 24 career games against the Phils.

Jimmy Rollins led the Phillies with HR (23) and RBI (68) last season. In 202 career games against the Braves, Rollins is a .274 hitter with 18 home runs and 42 stolen bases.

In 74 career games at Turner Field, Chase Utley has posted a .258 average with nine homers and 42 RBI. Utley batted .121 in 15 games against Atlanta last season.

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