The Atlanta Braves won't be a wire-to-wire division champion this year.
That's the only certifiable presumption to make from the club's 10-4 blowout loss to the Phillies on Thursday, as the city of Philadelphia christened the Bryce Harper era at Citizens Bank Park.
Officially, Harper didn't move the meter much in his Phillies debut, tallying zero hits and just one run.
However, the other three hitters headlining the Philly lineup were quick to dissect Atlanta's corps of pitchers, with Andrew McCutchen (one homer, two runs), Jean Segura (two hits, two runs) and slugging first baseman Rhys Hoskins (game-opening grand slam in the 7th) accounting for five hits, five RBI and six runs.
Julio Teheran fared OK in his sixth straight Opening Day start for the Braves, surrendering three runs over five innings.
On the plus side, Teheran racked up seven strikeouts on a superb weather day.
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At the same time, Teheran never found a sustained rhythm for longer than three innings. He was also behind the proverbial 8-ball from the start, allowing a leadoff homer to McCutchen.
The Atlanta bullpen couldn't match Teheran's middling proficiency on this day.
The quartet of Shane Carle, Wes Parsons, Luke Jackson and Max Fried (the Braves' fifth starter) gave up seven runs in just three innings of work – with Hoskins' grand slam serving as the decisive blow.
The Braves' offense was consistently sparse, with no regular posting more than one hit.
Outfielder Matt Joyce had the biggest impact, belting a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh inning – at a time when Atlanta trailed by only three runs.
The Phillies and Braves will take Friday off, setting the stage for Saturday's clash on national TV.
Bryse Wilson (only three major-league starts) gets the ball for Atlanta.