Cubs vs Diamondbacks Series Preview (July 23-25): TV and Game Info, Starting Pitchers, Insights
The Cubs continued to spin their wheels in the second half of the season after winning their first two games in Arizona. They just finished dropping three of four to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium this week and were a miracle 9th-inning comeback away from a four-game sweep. Now, with the trade deadline looming and so many rumors swirling, Chicago returns to Wrigley for three with the Diamondbacks.
Not much has changed for Arizona since the Cubs played them last week. They did sweep an equally bad Pittsburgh Pirates team after Chicago left town, but they’re still not good. Of course, the results of these games are hardly the major storyline this weekend.
This might be the last chance for home fans to see many of the Cubs’ best players before they are shipped out of town in the firesale that should begin on or about July 30. It’s very possible that this coming shake-up is casting a pall over the team which is contributing to their poor play.
Get ready for what will be a very interesting weekend, possibly on the field and definitely off it.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, July 23 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network (out of market only) and Marquee
- Saturday, July 24 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network (out of market only) and Marquee
- Sunday, July 25 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 7/23 | Zach Davies | 28 | R | 4.35 | 5-6 | 4.85 | 1.19 |
| Zac Gallen | 25 | R | 3.86 | 1-4 | 3.89 | 2.43 | |
| 7/24 | Alec Mills | 29 | R | 4.64 | 4-3 | 3.97 | 2.56 |
| Merrill Kelly | 32 | R | 4.46 | 6-7 | 3.88 | 3.67 | |
| 7/25 | Trevor Williams | 29 | R | 5.68 | 3-2 | 4.92 | 2.50 |
| Caleb Smith | 29 | L | 4.38 | 3-6 | 4.64 | 2.26 |
What to Watch For
- Kris Bryant pinch hit on Thursday and should be able to play on Friday afternoon, according to David Ross.
- Rafael Ortega has been surprisingly good of late and he’s hitting over .400 for the month of July.
- Expect Matt Duffy to return from his rehab stint this weekend. He was on quite a roll before suffering his back injury in May.
- This could be Davies’ final start in a Cubs uniform, although his recent performances might make a trade pretty hard to swing.