Sean Murphy starts behind the plate for Friday’s opener at Wrigley
Max Fried returns to the mound Friday as the Atlanta Braves look to slow down the red hot Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Fried will make his first start since May 5 for Atlanta while Chicago will go with right-hander Kyle Hendricks.
The Braves will roll out their normal lineup with Sean Murphy behind the plate in the opener. Marcell Ozuna will DH and hit sixth and has good numbers against Hendricks in his career hitting .378 with three home runs in 37 at-bats.
5️⃣4️⃣ back on the mound. #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/26lLtleTMb
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 4, 2023
For the Cubs, Dansby Swanson will hit second in his first matchup against his former team. He will be followed by Ian Happ and Cody Bellinger. New addition Jeimer Candelario will play third base and hit seventh. Miguel Amaya slots in behind the plate and will bat ninth.
Here is today’s #Cubs starting lineup!
Tune in: https://t.co/Gs2hZXyTjH pic.twitter.com/thzccerppz
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 4, 2023
First pitch from Wrigley Field is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports Southeast.