On The Horizon: Cubs vs. Diamondbacks series preview
Now we begin the meat of the 2025 season.
For the Arizona Diamondbacks, they’re awaiting Opening Day of the 2025 season. There will be ceremonies, players will line up on the baselines to be introduced, etc.
For the Chicago Cubs, it’s Games 3 through 6 of the season. Time to get down to business!
Incidentally, the Cubs are going to wind up doing that “line up on the baseline” thing five times this year. They did it for both games in Tokyo and they’ll do it for the opener at Chase Field. Then they’ll do it again Monday in Sacramento for the A’s home opener, and then a week from Friday at Wrigley Field for their own home opener. By then they should be really good at it!
For more on the D-backs, here’s Jim McLennan, manager of our SB Nation Diamondbacks site AZ Snakepit.
Arizona looks to get back to the post-season, having missed out in 2024 despite outscoring every other team in the majors. The loss of Christian Walker and Joc Pederson will work against a repeat, but the team’s pitching is likely to be better than last year. They won’t have Jordan Montgomery’s 6.23 ERA, as he’ll miss the entire season due to Tommy John surgery. They added the biggest contract in team history in Corbin Burnes, but after a scheduling “situation,” you won’t see him in the opening series. He’s not a bad No. 5 though, and Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt should give the team a very solid rotation. Justin Martinez, recently signed to a long-term extension, anchors the bullpen, but A.J. Puk and Ryan Thompson will provide alternative looks in the late innings.
On offense, Arizona will hope both Corbin Carroll and Eugenio Suarez start the year how they finished 2024, rather than how they began it. Both had terrible starts, but resurrected themselves in the second half. Full season from them at that level will go a long way towards a successful season in the desert. Walker has been replaced at first base by Josh Naylor, who’ll probably offer close to as much thump, though perhaps without the defensive wizardry of Walker, who won the NL 1B Gold Glove the past three seasons. But perhaps nobody is more important to the team than Ketel Marte. Coming off a third-place MVP finish, including career highs in home-runs and RBI, he has a lot to live up to. If he can, then there’s a good chance the D-backs can find themselves back in the post-season come October.
This series could potentially end up being a rehearsal for a playoff match-up. Except if that happens, it will probably involve more Corbin Burnes!
Fun facts
Today will be the earliest date on which the Cubs ever have begun a series in the United States, and the second earliest anywhere, after this year’s two games against the Dodgers at Tokyo.
Their previous earliest date in the U.S. was on March 28, at Texas, in 2019 and 2024. They played on March 29 at Miami in 2018. Their previous earliest in the U.S. against a National League team was on March 30, at home vs. the Brewers, in 2023.
