Chicago Cubs @ Arizona Diamondbacks – Series Preview (March 27-30): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs began their season nine days ago with a pair of losses against the defending World Series champion Dodgers in Tokyo, Japan. Chicago’s first stateside opponent is the Diamondbacks, who host Craig Counsell‘s squad for four games starting Thursday. It is a very disjointed start to 2025 for a team that hopes to compete for the postseason after disappointing 83-win seasons the last two years.
The North Siders are hoping for a surge in power from a lineup that has failed to hit a lot of home runs in recent years with the addition of right fielder Kyle Tucker from the Astros. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and third baseman Matt Shaw are young players whose development will be critical to improving an offense that ranked 13th in MLB with a .710 OPS last season.
The Cubs’ pitching rotation was excellent in 2024 with a 3.77 ERA, second lowest in the National League. The only outside addition to the starting staff was Matthew Boyd, who replaces the legendary Kyle Hendricks. The bullpen was an issue throughout last season and the hope is new closer Ryan Pressly can help solidify the relief corps.
As for Chicago’s foe this weekend, Arizona finished with 89 wins in 2024, missing the playoffs despite improving their record by five games from their pennant-winning campaign in 2023. They had a pretty dangerous team and figure to put up a fight all season in a very tough division.
The Snakes had an explosive offense, finishing second in MLB in team OPS (.777) to the Dodgers. Ketel Marte is the best hitter on the team and had a 151 wRC+ backed by 36 home runs. Corbin Carroll had a down campaign after winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2023, but he still put up 4.0 fWAR with 22 homers and is a dynamic threat with his speed.
The D-backs pitching staff was not good last season, with a 4.62 team ERA that was one of the highest in baseball. They attempted to address the problem by signing free agent starter Corbin Burnes to a big contract in the off-season, although Chicago won’t see him in this series. The bullpen was also an adventure with a bit of a revolving door in save situations.
This series is the beginning of a brutal opening month for the Cubs that features matchups with some of the best teams in baseball. To increase the degree of difficulty a bit more, Arizona’s home stadium, Chase Field, has been a house of horrors for Chicago since it opened in 1998. The goal should probably just be to survive the early onslaught in one piece.
Even with the challenging early road for the Cubs, it’s great to have baseball back for another season.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Thursday, March 27 at 9:10pm CT on Marquee.
- Friday, March 28 at 8:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Saturday, March 29 at 7:10pm CT on Marquee.
- Sunday, March 30 at 3:10pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers (2024 Stats)
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 3/27 | Justin Steele | 29 | L | 3.07 | 5-5 | 3.23 | 3.65 |
| Zac Gallen | 29 | R | 3.65 | 14-6 | 3.38 | 2.89 | |
| 3/28 | Jameson Taillon | 33 | R | 3.27 | 12-8 | 3.92 | 3.79 |
| Merrill Kelly | 35 | R | 4.03 | 5–1 | 4.25 | 3.32 | |
| 3/29 | Shōta Imanaga | 31 | L | 2.91 | 15-3 | 3.72 | 6.50 |
| Brandon Pfaadt | 26 | R | 4.71 | 11–10 | 3.61 | 4.40 | |
| 3/30 | TBA | ||||||
| Eduardo Rodríguez | 31 | L | 5.04 | 3-4 | 4.57 | 2.47 |
What to Watch For
- The Cubs have not named a starter for Sunday’s game but Boyd is likely.
- Veteran Eugenio Suárez hit 30 homers last year and has always done well against Chicago.
- Look for Justin Turner to get a start against the lefty Rodríguez.
- The Cubs are 34-52 all-time at Chase Field.
