Atlanta @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 11, 2014 ) Philadelphia 1, Atlanta 9

The Atlanta Braves’ revamped starting rotation has held up well through the first two weeks, and now the defending National League East champions are starting to hit. The Braves open a seven-game road swing Monday at Philadelphia, fresh off a sweep of Washington in which Justin Upton and Freddie Freeman led a resurgent offense. The Phillies also come in after a sweep, taking three in a row from Miami as Chase Utley and Ryan Howard homered in a 4-3 victory.

The Phillies lost six of eight entering the weekend, but are back at .500 thanks to strong play from aging veterans Utley, Howard and Jimmy Rollins, who hit an extra-inning walkoff homer in Saturday’s victory. Utley is hitting .500 through the first two weeks of the season after going 7-for-12 against Miami with four RBIs and three doubles. Atlanta has won four of its past five, combining strong starting pitching with Upton’s four homers in four days and Freeman’s nine-game hitting streak, including homers in the final two victories over Washington.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN, Fox Sports South (Atlanta), The Comcast Network (Philadelphia)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Ervin Santana (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Roberto Hernandez (1-0, 4.35)

Santana dazzled the Mets in his first start Wednesday, throwing his first 20 pitches for strikes and scattering three hits. In his 10th season, the 31-year old has not finished above .500 since going 17-10 for the Angels in 2010. The right-hander, who spent his first nine seasons in the American League, beat Philadelphia in his only career appearance against the Phillies in 2008, defeating the eventual World Series champions with one run allowed on two hits with nine strikeouts in seven innings.

Hernandez has pitched decent in his first two National League starts, allowing two earned runs in an April 4 victory over the Cubs and striking out nine in five innings in a no-decision Thursday against Milwaukee. The 33-year-old, who won 19 games for Cleveland in his first season as a starter in 2007, has posted double-digit losses in each of his past four full seasons. The right-hander has faced the Braves once, allowing two runs on five hits in seven innings to beat Atlanta in 2007.

WALK-OFFS

1. Upton finished with two hits Sunday, breaking a streak of three consecutive three-hit efforts, and is 11-for-14 with eight RBIs in his past four games.

2. Freeman, who is hitting .442, drove in four runs Sunday and is has four multi-hit games in his past five contests.

3. Philadelphia OF Tony Gwynn Jr. is 5-for-10 in his past two games.

PREDICTION: Braves 4, Phillies 2