Cubs and Diamondbacks Set for Highly Anticipated Weekend Series
The Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks have been two of the best teams in the National League through the first three weeks of the MLB season. With both teams playing at a high level, this weekend’s series at Wrigley Field is bound to be one of the marquee matchups of the weekend. This will be the last regular-season series between these two teams, given they split a four-game set in Arizona in the opening series of the season. There is so much to get into with this series, including shut-down pitching, some of the best hitters in the game, and key individual matchups. So, let's preview this series between two National League heavyweights.
Game One: Burnes vs Rea
This is a really tough pitching matchup for Chicago in the opening game of this series. Colin Rea is coming off an impressive outing in Los Angeles in which he was on a pitch count given the short notice of the Justin Steele injury. It is safe to assume the pitch count will be off for Rea in this one now that he is fully rested. On the other side, this will be Corbin Burnes’ first start against the Cubs as a member of the Diamondbacks. However, Burnes and the Cubs are very familiar with each other after many matchups when Burnes was with the Brewers. Burnes has a good track record against the Cubs in his career, so he hopes to keep that personal momentum going on Friday. A key matchup to watch in this game will be Seiya Suzuki vs Burnes. Suzuki, who is coming off a minor wrist injury, has a career .333 batting average against Burnes. If the Cubs are going to get a bump on Burnes, look for Suzuki to be a primary catalyst. With that said, I give the advantage to the Diamondbacks in game one.
Game Two: Gallen vs Brown
This game will likely be determined by the performance of Cubs starter Ben Brown. Brown has been very up and down so far this year, with the inconsistency coming with his fastball command. Brown did not start against the Diamondbacks in Arizona, which could play to his benefit in this game. He is coming off a very encouraging performance against the Dodgers in which he threw five shutout innings, but his other two starts were shaky to say the least. If Brown gets behind these Diamondbacks hitters early in counts, this lineup will make him pay. On the other hand, Zac Gallen has been one of the more consistent pitchers over the past few seasons, however, he was roughed up a bit by the Cubs on Opening Day. With the Cubs lineup just seeing Gallen less than a month ago, and Brown coming off a quality start against the Dodgers, I give the edge to the Cubs in this game.
Game Three: Kelly vs Taillon
This series finale could very well be the rubber match if the first two games go as predicted. Jameson Taillon has been bugged by the home run so far this season, which could prove fatal on Sunday if the wind is blowing out to the gaps. Also, he was hit around by Arizona in the first series, especially by Eugenio Suárez, who had two home runs in the game. Merrill Kelly faced Taillon in this game as well, and he was very good as he only allowed three hits and one earned run. This game will be decided by which pitcher can either duplicate their performance, in Kelly’s case, or flip the narrative, in Taillon’s case. The bullpen will also play a large factor in this game since the last game of a series typically sees bullpens become the most worn down. Whichever bullpen is able to be mentally and physically tougher should give their team the best chance in this series finale.
