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(Sports Network) - The Washington Nationals kick off their 2008 campaign this evening against the Atlanta Braves at brand new Nationals Park.

After spending their last three years at vast RFK Stadium, the Nationals finally have a place to call their own, a state-of-the-art 41,888-seat stadium located along the Anacostia River, which includes views of the Capitol and the Washington Monument.

President George W. Bush is also expected to be on hand tonight to throw out the first pitch.

When you finish eight games under .500 (73-89) and 16 games out of first place there are going to be changes and such was the case with the Washington Nationals. This offseason general manager Jim Bowden brought in catchers Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada, controversial outfielders Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes, as well as utility man Rob Mackowiak, while ridding the team of mainstays Ryan Church, Brian Schneider and most recently John Patterson.

Second year manager Manny Acta hopes the new players will mix well with such veterans as third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, outfielder Austin Kearns, infielder Dmitri Young and returning first baseman Nick Johnson, who missed all of last season with a broken leg.

Starting pitcher Odalis Perez was also brought in to help a starting rotation that ranked 29th in the majors with 856 innings pitched in 2007 -- only the Texas Rangers finished worse.

Perez will be on the hill tonight, as he gets the first Opening Day start of his career. Perez was 8-11 last season with the Kansas City Royals and pitched to a 5.57 earned run average in 26 starts.

The 30-year-old left-hander defeated the Braves the first time he faced them. but is 0-3 in six games since with a 6.30 ERA.

Atlanta, meanwhile, enters the year slightly under the radar in the National League East. While most people talk division title for the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, just about everyone is forgetting about the Atlanta Braves, who finished third in the East last season at 84-78.

The Braves did not do much this offseason, but did bring 42-year-old left- hander Tom Glavine back to Dixie. Glavine, of course, spent the first 16 years of his career with the Braves and won a pair of Cy Young Awards for them. His age, though, is a question mark, as is that of 40-year-old John Smoltz, who will start the season on the disabled list.

Offensively, the Braves should be fine with a lineup that includes veterans Chipper Jones and Mark Kotsay as well as talented young stars Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur and Mark Teixeira.

Tim Hudson will get the call for the Braves tonight. Hudson, who will be starting on Opening Day for the fifth time in his career, had his best year in Atlanta a year ago, as he went 16-10 with a 3.33 ERA. The 32-year-old righty has faced the Nationals eight times over the course of his career and is 5-1 against them with a sparkling 1.09 ERA.

Atlanta won 11 of its 18 matchups with the Nationals a year ago and is 31-24 in the series since the start of the 2005 campaign.

Following tonight's contest the Nationals will hit the road for six games starting with a three-game set in Philadelphia on Monday. Atlanta will play its home opener on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the start of a three-game series before the Mets visit on the weekend.