The Chicago Cubs will look to open a five-game homestand on a winning note when they host the Miami Marlins on Friday night.
The Cubs returned home late Thursday from a four-game set in New York, where they salvaged a victory in the series finale, 2-0, to avoid a sweep. Javier Baez hit a two-run homer and Kyle Hendricks pitched six scoreless innings to win his seventh start in a row.
At home, the Cubs have won six games in a row. The team's last loss at Wrigley Field took place May 30 against the Cincinnati Reds.
Kris Bryant is expected to be available for the Cubs. He was hit by a pitch on the hand Tuesday and sat out Wednesday, then returned to the lineup for the series finale in the win over the Mets.
Bryant finished 1-for-4 with a run and two strikeouts. He is hitting .291 with 13 homers and 39 RBIs in 63 games this season.
"He said, 'We're good to go. Put me in,'" Cubs manager David Ross said. "I trust in him. I'm sure he's not 100 percent, but the fact that he's willing to go, that's a good sign."
As Chicago aims for more home success, Miami is looking to snap a long slump on the road. The Marlins are 13-25 away from home and have lost 11 of their past 12 road games.
Miami was just swept in three games at St. Louis, scoring only three runs total, and fell 1-0 to the Cardinals in the finale on Wednesday.
"Obviously, you're looking for consistency day in and day out," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "We did have a little stretch there (at home), and then we came back on the road and we've kind of gotten throttled and struggled to get anything on the board. ...
"We just haven't played well enough on the road to win."
The Cubs will turn to right-hander Zach Davies (4-3, 4.01 ERA), who is scheduled to make his 15th start of the season. The 28-year-old is 54-39 with a 3.81 ERA in 137 career starts.
Davies has won his past two outings and will try to make it three victories in a row. He did not allow a run in his past two starts, spanning 12 2/3 innings, while yielding three hits and four walks and fanning 10.
This will be Davies' seventh career start against the Marlins. He is 3-2 with a 5.74 ERA in his first six outings, which have included 10 walks and 20 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings.
The Marlins had not announced a starting pitcher for Friday's series opener. The only starter they named for the weekend set was for Saturday, when right-hander Pablo Lopez (2-4, 3.12 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound.
This is the first meeting of the season between the Cubs and Marlins. They most recently faced each other in 2019, when the Cubs won six of the seven games in the regular-season series.
--Field Level Media
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