Lineup, how to watch Atlanta's series opener against the San Francisco Giants

The Atlanta Braves? So hot right now

Fresh off of a 6-1 stretch against both the Mets and Yankees where Atlanta outscored the two New York teams by 45 runs, the Braves are prepared to welcome the San Francisco Giants to Truist Park for a three game set that should, hopefully, better resemble Major League Baseball from both teams. San Francisco's in a bit of a slump right now, having gone just 3-7 in their last ten games and perilously holding on to the 2nd NL Wild Card spot by only a game and a half.

Series preview: Giants coming to Atlanta in need of resurgence

Lineup for the Atlanta Braves on Friday, August 18th

Here's how the Braves will line up for the contest:

Friday night lights!#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/5t5KgdokC4
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 18, 2023

Atlanta's going with the usual suspects in this one - DH Marcell Ozuna and LF Eddie Rosario bat 5th and 6th, respectively, while Sean Murphy is tonight's catcher and bats in the #7 spot in the order. Nicky Lopez continues his run as primary 2nd baseman in Ozzie's absence, batting 9th, with Vaughn Grissom still yet to get into a game during this most recent call-up to Atlanta.

Pitching Matchup for the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants on Friday, August 18th

We're kicking off with the best matchup of the weekend: Spencer Strider vs Alex Cobb.

Strider's 13-4 on the season with a 3.75 ERA in his 24 starts. Leading all of baseball in both strikeouts (217) and strikeout rate (14.0/9), he's sporting the National League's best FIP at 2.94 and has been victimized somewhat by soft contact finding grass, giving him a higher ERA than his actual performance. He's faced San Francisco twice in his career, both in 2022, and didn't pitch particularly well: 8.2 IP with 15H, 9R (8 earned), although most of the damage was in the first outing. Several Giants have at-bats against Strider, although only Brandon Crawford (3-4, RBI) and Thairo Estrada (3-5) have had any success.

Opposing Atlanta is one of San Francisco's more consistent starters in Alex Cobb. The righty is 6-4 with a 3.62 ERA in his 22 starts this season, striking out 110 in his 121.2 innings. The veteran is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three career starts against Atlanta, including six scoreless innings last year with seven strikeouts and no walks. As you can guess from last year's statline, not many Braves have had much success against Cobb, although Eddie Rosario is batting a lifetime .417 against Cobb with two home runs and three RBIS, so look for Eddie Money to make some noise tonight.

How to Watch the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants on Friday, August 18th

Tonight's game is a 7:20 PM ET first pitch from Truist Park. The game broadcast is available locally on Bally Ssports Southeast and on MLB.tv outside of Braves Country. The radio call is available in the Atlanta Metro area on 680 The Fan, regionally on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network, and nationally on MLB.tv.

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