Chicago Cubs vs Arizona Diamondbacks – Series Preview (July 19–21): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (47-51) ended the first-half on a high note, winning 8 of their last 11 including a 5-2 road trip to Baltimore and St. Louis. Chicago’s offense finally came to life after two months of slumping with 61 runs scored over those games. Now they come out of the All-Star break hoping to continue the momentum with a series against the Diamondbacks starting Friday at Wrigley.
Arizona (49-48) has been hovering around the .500 mark all season after their surprise run to the World Series in 2023. The offense is the D-backs’ strong suit with a team OPS of .736 that is ninth-best in baseball. Ketel Marte was an All-Star with 19 homers and an .877 OPS while slugging first baseman Christian Walker has a team-high 22 dingers.
The pitching staff is not nearly as good, with a team ERA of 4.56 that ranks as the third worst in the National League. Zac Gallen is the ace of the staff with a 3.87 ERA but he missed a month with a strained hamstring. Last-minute free agent signing Jordan Montgomery struggled mightily and then went on the injured list with an arm issue.
Arizona’s bullpen is better than the rotation but not by much with a 4.30 ERA. Paul Sewald is the closer and has 13 saves after missing the early part of the season with an oblique strain. This is certainly a team that will give up some runs, so the key is keeping that powerful offense from scoring more than the pitchers allow.
The Cubs were able to win two of three against this squad back in April at Chase Field, a place where they usually struggle to find success. The North Siders’ 8-5 record so far in July is a definite improvement over May and June, but they are going to have to close the month strong to avoid selling at the deadline.
Were the recent promising signs shown by Craig Counsell‘s squad sustainable or are they just experiencing a brief hot streak? The next two weeks should give a very clear answer to that question.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, July 19 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network (out of market only) and Marquee.
- Saturday, July 20 at 6:15pm CT on FOX.
- Sunday, July 21 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 7/19 | Justin Steele | 29 | L | 2.71 | 2-3 | 3.22 | 4.50 |
| Ryne Nelson | 26 | R | 4.98 | 6-6 | 4.10 | 2.95 | |
| 7/20 | Kyle Hendricks | 34 | R | 6.78 | 2-7 | 5.13 | 2.38 |
| Zac Gallen | 28 | R | 3.87 | 6–5 | 3.40 | 3.62 | |
| 7/21 | Shōta Imanaga | 30 | L | 2.97 | 8-2 | 3.28 | 6.13 |
| Brandon Pfaadt | 25 | R | 3.97 | 4-6 | 3.67 | 4.00 |
What to Watch For
- Nico Hoerner is on an 11-game hitting streak and has 10 hits in the last six contests.
- Steele has allowed just one run in his last 17 innings pitched and the Cubs have won his last three starts.
- Seiya Suzuki had four hits in the final two games against St. Louis and 12 total on the road trip.