Series Preview: Chicago Cubs @ Arizona Diamondbacks

The Chicago Cubs, on the heels of their first win in 5 tries, make their first trip west to face the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have struggled out of the gate to a 7-11 record.

Recently, the D’Backs have been defined by starting pitching, particularly their two aces, Brandon Webb, Randy Johnson, and Dan Haren. Fortunately for the Cubbies, they will only have to face Dan Haren in game 1 this time around. Kentucky native Brandon Webb is currently on the DL with right shoulder bursitis and perennial Cub killer Randy Johnson has moved on to San Francisco in pursuit of his 300th win.

Part of the reason the D’Backs have been so known for pitching is because, frankly, their offense has been pretty awful. Arizona is dead last in the MLB in batting average, hitting .223 on the year and scoring only 3.5 runs a game. Possibly the worst sign is that the guy with the third highest batting average on the team is Doug Davis at .286, who has a career batting average of .078. The only regular with an average over .274 is second baseman Felipe Lopez at .323.

Their lineup is full of guys who seem like they should be batting 7th in a good lineup. They strike out a ton, don’t have all that much power, and are just not that scary in general. They have some talent, especially in the outfield with Justin Upton and Chris Young, but they have yet to come into their own. Third baseman Mark Reynolds has done the most damage so far with 5 homers and 11 RBI’s, but the strikeout pitchers of the Cubs figure to give him trouble; he K’d 204 times last year.

Even in its decimated form, the Cubs lineup is better and more balanced than Arizona’s. A quick update on the Cub injuries: Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Marmol both could return during this series, Milton Bradley is day to day (I wish they would just DL him), as is Derrek Lee.

Let’s look at the probables for this week:

Game 1

Ted Lilly: 2-1 2.41 ERA

Lilly was tremendous his last time out, but was bested by Johnny Cueto on Wednesday, largely thanks to a throwing error by Lilly that led to a run. Lilly has been the best Cub starter so far and Lou Piniella could use a solid start. D’Backs batters have limited experience against him, but keep an eye out for Conor Jackson, who is 3-5 with a dinger and has a lifetime batting average of over .300 against lefties.

Dan Haren: 1-3 1.38 ERA

Dan Haren’s numbers so far this year are downright Jake Peavy-esque. He’s 1-3 on the year with a 1.38 ERA, repeatedly falling victim to the poor Diamondbacks offense. Alfonso Soriano is 6-17 lifetime against Haren with 2 homers and 6 RBI’s.

Advantage: Diamondbacks-slight

Game 2

Carlos Zambrano: 1-1 4.85 ERA

Zambrano has eaten innings so far this year, but he hasn’t quite put it together yet. He allowed 4 runs (3 earned) in 7 innings his last time out. Big Z will be looking to shut down the struggling D’Backs, but he will have to look out for Felipe Lopez. Lopez is the only D’Back with more than 6 AB’s against him, and he’s 12-35 (.343).

Yusmeiro Petit: 0-1 6.00 ERA

Petit has made 3 appearances and 2 starts on the year in place of Webb, and hasn’t pitched more than 5 innings once, giving up at least 3 runs in each. Petit is a countryman of Carlos Zambrano and has yet to spend a full year in the Majors.

Advantage: Cubs-strong

Game 3

Ryan Dempster: 1-0 4.88

Dempster, like Big Z, has failed to start the season like he’s wanted to. Hopefully by the time he takes the bump, he will be building on consecutive strong starts by Zambrano and Lilly. His issue has been control so far.

Doug Davis: 1-3 3.67 ERA

Davis, like Haren, has had tough luck. The relatively soft tossing lately is pretty much the defition of a mediocre pitcher, sporting a 4.32 ERA and a record of 82-86. Every time the Cubs face him, I think they should hit him hard, but he always pitches tough. He’s been hard on Alfonso Soriano, and Derrek Lee.