Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies preview: On the road again

Apr 9, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Ervin Santana (30) throws the ball against the New York Mets during the first inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Update: The Braves have released their official lineup, and Chris Johnson is once again on the bench in favor of Ramiro Pena.

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Fresh off of a dominant, series-sweeping victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday, the Atlanta Braves will set out on a road trip to begin this week, and the Philadelphia Phillies are the first opponent on the list. Obviously, nothing could be better than sweeping the Nationals in the friendly confines of Turner Field, but the Braves will be looking to match that excitement level against the hated Phillies.

Ervin Santana will make his second start in a Braves uniform on Monday night (on national television, no less) and he will be following the best start by any Atlanta pitcher this season. In his debut, “Big Erv” put together an 8-inning masterpiece against the Mets, in which he allowed only 3 hits and 0 runs, and while the Phillies have a much more hitter-friendly ballpark than he faced in New York, the lineups are actually quite similar.

Offensively, the Braves exploded for 10 runs on Sunday afternoon, and they have another favorable match-up against Philly’s Roberto Hernandez. The former Indians and Rays right-hander had a 4.89 ERA in 2012, and prior to that, he was virtually out of baseball after two disastrous years in Cleveland. Still, right-handers present more of a challenge against this edition of the Atlanta Braves than in years past, and Atlanta will need big-time efforts to continue from guys like Freddie Freeman and Justin Upton.

Here is a look at the particulars for Monday:

Date: April 14, 2014

Start Time: 7:00 p.m.

TV Channel: ESPN, Fox Sports South

Radio: 680 AM/106.7 FM (Local in Atlanta), Full list of Local Affiliates

Live Stream: MLB.tv (Click Here, $)

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