ATLANTA _ The Braves had a knack last season for overcoming bad bullpen outings with late rallies that at least made things interesting throughout the summer, and they did it again Thursday on Opening Day. In fact, they more than made things interesting.
Nick Markakis hit a three-run walk-off homer with two outs in the ninth inning to cap a huge rally from five runs down and give the Braves a stirring 8-5 win over the Phillies before a crowd of 40,208 at SunTrust Park.
It was the first game-ending homer of the 13-year veteran's career and the Braves' first walk-off homer on Opening Day since the team moved to Atlanta in 1966.
"It's big," said Markakis, who homered on a 1-1 pitch from Hector Naris after the Phillies elected to intentionally walk Freddie Freeman with a runner at second. "It says a lot about our team. We grinded out at-bats. That's what we're going to have to do. It was a great win overall."
The Braves scored the last eight runs of the game including homers by Freeman and Ozzie Albies. They trailed 5-0 before Freeman's two-run homer in the sixth, and Albies's leadoff homer in the eighth started a three-run inning that tied the score.
"That was a fun game to be a part of," Freeman said. "It's the same thing like last year. We were never out of a game. We fought until the end and we did that tonight. Complete team effort. Everybody did something tonight to help us win the game. It's fun being part of those."
The Phillies intentionally walked Freeman with two outs to bring up Markakis, who fouled off a 1-0 pitch before driving the next pitch over the right-center field wall, kicking off a celebration as what remained of a sold-out crowd roared and Braves teammates poured from the dugout and bullpen to mob Markakis.
"Every time Nick is up I think he's going to get a hit," Freeman said. "He's a complete pro, ultimate pro. We're lucky to have him on this team. When you've got 2,000 hits, you're kind of wanting to be up in that situation and he did it today."
Markakis, batting cleanup behind Freeman, had been 0-for-4 before the homer.
"I over-swung a little on the 1-0 pitch," Markakis said. "I was just thinking to myself, calm down, nice easy swing, try not to miss it.
After the bullpen faltered in a four-run sixth inning that gave the Phillies a 5-0 lead, the Braves rallied behind Freeman's two-run homer in the sixth inning and Albies' leadoff homer in the eighth, with Albies igniting a three-run inning that tied the score.
Braves catcher Tyler Flowers left the game with a sore oblique muscle during his first at-bat of the season in the second inning, and Braves manager Brian Snitker was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the eighth inning, so it was all the more important that the Braves at least end the day with some smiles and a comeback win.
Julio Teheran was charged with four hits, four runs and three walks with three strikeouts in his fifth consecutive Opening-Day start for the Braves, pitching well for most of his outing and leaving with a 2-0 deficit and two runners on base after giving up a leadoff homer and a two-out hit batter and walk in the sixth. Rex Brothers walked the next two batters _ the only batters he faced _ and Dan Winkler gave up an RBI single before the inning was through.
After Albies' homer in the eighth, it was the Phillies' bullpen that got sloppy, with Adam Morgan walking Freeman and Edubray Ramos walking Kurt Suzuki with one out to put the potential tying runs on base. Freeman scored from second when a wild pitch was compounded by a throwing error by catcher Andrew Knapp, and pinch-runner Peter Bourjos scored on Preston Tucker's single to make the score 5-5.
Both Braves home runs came against relievers after Phillies starter Aaron Nola allowed just three hits and one walk in 51/3 innings, the lone run charged to him scoring when Freeman homered off reliever Hoby Milner immediately after the lefty was brought in to face the Braves slugger with one out in the sixth. Ender Inciarte had doubled to start the inning, the only extra-base hit off Nola.
The Braves scored three or fewer runs 12 times against the Phillies last season and lost 13 of 19 games against, and for much of the game Thursday it looked like more of the same was in order.
So was the performance by some Braves relievers oh-too familiar. It was a beleaguered unit in 2017, but Braves relievers spoke this spring about having the pieces in place for dramatic bullpen improvement this season. Braves relievers had the majors' fifth-highest ERA in 2017 and one of the worst strikeouts-to-walks ratios
Teheran recorded 13 outs in a 14-batter span following Rhys Hoskins' run-scoring double that provided the Phillies with a 1-0 lead with two out in the first inning. He issued two walks during the next four innings and induced a double-play grounder by the next batter in each case.
But he ran into a wall in the sixth inning, when Teheran gave up a leadoff homer to Cesar Hernandez on a flat full-count change-up. Two outs later, he hit Hoskins with a pitch and walked Aaron Altherr on his 90th and final pitch of the day.
In came Brothers to provide nothing that resembled relief.
Brothers walked two batters with two out, loading the bases with the free pass he issued to J.P. Crawford and then forcing in a run with a walk to Maikel Franco. Winkler relieved him and gave up a two-run single before striking out the pitcher Nola to end a nine-batter, four-run inning that featured only two hits.
Snitker has been a consistent support and believer in Brothers, though it's difficult to see why. The veteran lefty had a 7.23 ERA in 27 appearances for the Braves last season and a 7.20 ERA in 10 Grapefruit League appearances, his 15 strikeouts in 10 innings offset by seven walks and four homers.
The Braves didn't make it through two innings before their first injury as Flowers exited with "left oblique discomfort" in his side while batting to start the second inning. He fouled off a pitch and winced, then chatted briefly with a team trainer before walking off the field.
Flowers missed part of spring training with a strained groin and didn't play a Grapefruit League game in Florida after March 19, though he did get at-bats in minor league and simulated games on the backfields and got two at-bats in Monday's exhibition game against the Yankees.
Ryan Flaherty, who only signed with the Braves on Sunday, got the start at third base and picked up the team's first hit of the season when he laid down a bunt single that rolled up the line and hit third base as the Phillies' Franco waited in hopes that it would roll foul.
