Bryce Harper, Phillies brace for Braves to open season

One of the most highly anticipated Opening Day matchups will go down in Philadelphia on Thursday when the Phillies host the Atlanta Braves.

Philadelphia has defeated the Braves in the National League Division Series in each of the past two years, and it rode that momentum to a pair of deep playoff runs. The Phillies came within two victories of a World Series title in 2022, then fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series a season ago.

The Phillies boast a strong roster once again even with the loss of Rhys Hoskins, who signed with the Milwaukee Brewers this past offseason.

Bryce Harper appears to be fully recovered from Tommy John surgery and is likely going to be Philadelphia's everyday first baseman. Despite battling injuries and missing some extended time, Harper has hit 122 home runs in five seasons with the Phillies since signing a 13-year, $330 million contract.

"I'm looking forward to being really good over there (at first base), not for myself, but for this whole team and every guy in that infield," Harper said. "Because they're all going to rely on me for their Gold Gloves, and our pitchers are going to rely heavily on me over there as well."

Aaron Nola has been Philadelphia's Opening Day starter for each of the past six seasons, but this time, manager Rob Thomson announced that Zack Wheeler will get the ball.

Wheeler is 12-7 with a 3.18 ERA in 27 career starts against the Braves. Earlier this month, he signed a three-year, $126 million extension to remain with the Phillies.

The roster is largely the same, with standouts like Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Harper and Nola, and the addition of Whit Merrifield bolstered the club's depth.

"I think we have a good club," Philadelphia president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. "We're ready to start the season."

The Braves won a major-league-best 104 games during the regular season in 2023 but failed again to carry that momentum into the playoffs.

Atlanta's Opening Day squad looks to be just as strong, if not stronger, with the likes of Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Matt Olson and pitchers Spencer Strider and Max Fried headlining the roster.

The Braves have won six consecutive NL East titles. While they are aiming for number seven, they also have larger goals -- capturing another World Series championship.

"There should be no acceptance of anything less than winning a World Series in this organization," said Strider, who will get the start on Opening Day. "I'm biased, but this is the most talented team in baseball. We need to set our bar as high as possible. Anything less than that is an underachievement for us."

Strider has been sensational in the regular season against the Phillies, posting a perfect 8-0 mark with a 1.90 ERA in eight career appearances (seven starts).

Acuna is coming off a historic season in which he hit 41 home runs and stole a majors-best 73 bases, while Olson crushed 54 home runs and drove in 139 runs, also best in baseball.

Even with a loaded roster, the Braves realize they must continue executing if they are going to win in the playoffs.

"I think the guys are ready to get out of here," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said as the team broke camp. "It's been a great spring. The guys have done everything we've asked, accomplished everything we set out to do. It's been a nice boring spring around here."