The Arizona Diamondbacks will host the Chicago Cubs for their opening game of the season on Thursday March 27. It’s the first of a four game series between the two National League playoff hopefuls.

The Cubs opened their season with a two game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo Japan, dropping both contests by scores of 4-1 and 6-3.

On December 7 the Cubs traded Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees for right-hander Cody Poteet. Six days later they landed one of the best players in baseball, when healthy, Kyle Tucker. The Astros received Isaac Paredes in the deal.

The Cubs made another trade with the Astros in late January, snagging Ryan Pressly to be their closer in exchange for minor leaguer Juan Bello.

Chicago also signed left-hander Mathew Boyd and former Diamondback Carson Kelly to free agent contracts. Just as spring training was starting they signed DH/First Baseman Justin Turner.

The Diamondbacks biggest move of the offseason was to sign star right-hander Corbin Burnes to a six year, $210 million dollar contract, but he will not pitch in this series. They also traded for first baseman Josh Naylor, replacing Christian Walker who left via free agency.

Thursday, March 27, 7:10 P.M. MST

Left-hander Justin Steele will start for the Cubs. Last year he made 24 starts, and posted a 3.07 ERA along with a 3.23 FIP in 134 innings. His record was 5-5 and he produced 1.9 WAR.

Steele pitched the second game in Tokyo on March 19 and allowed five runs on five hits, including two homers in four innings of work, taking the loss

Zac Gallen will take the mound for the Diamondbacks, having been tabbed by manager Torey Lovullo for the opening day start. Gallen went 14-6 with a 3.65 ERA in 2024. He made 28 starts and threw 148 innings as he fought hamstring issues several times last year.

Friday, March 28, 6:40 P.M. MST

Right-hander Jameson Taillon is now entering his third year with the Cubs. He was very good last year, going 12-8 with a 3.27 ERA, albeit with a somewhat higher FIP of 3.92. He made 28 starts and pitched 165 innings, frequently going deeper in games.

Merrill Kelly is fully recovered fromt the shoulder issues that plagued him last year when he was limited to just 13 starts and 74 innings. He went 5-1 with a 4.03 ERA. Kelly struck out 16 batters in 15 spring innings while only walking five, but allowed some hard contact too, including three homers in succession to the Giants in his last spring tuneup.

Saturday, March 29, 5:10 P.M. MST

Japanese left-hander Shota Imanaga pitched well on home soil in the Tokyo opener, tossing four hitless, scoreless innings against the Dodgers. He did walk four batters, and struck out two. As a 30 year-old rookie, the effervescent lefty was fabulous in 2024, going 15-3 with a 2.93 ERA in 29 starts, 173 innings.

Righty Brandon Pfaadt led the D-backs in innings pitched last year with 181.2 innings. While his ERA was an elevated 4.71, he pitched better than that, as evidenced by 3.61 FIP and 4.4 strikeout to walk ration. A solid spring led to him winning a rotation spot over Ryne Nelson.

Sunday, March 30, 1:10 P.M. MST

The Cubs have yet to name a starter for Sunday afternoon’s matchup. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will start for the D-backs. He too lost significant time last year due to a shoulder injury, and was not great when he came back. Making 10 starts, he posted a 5.05 ERA with a 4.57 FIP in 50 innings.

Rodriguez looked very sharp in spring, striking out 12 and walking just two in 10 Cactus League innings. He seems poised to reprieve his bend but don’t break style. Signed to a four year, $80 million dollar contract prior to the 2024 season, Rodriguez was coming off a career best 3.30 ERA in 153 innings in 2023 while going 13-9 with 3.2 WAR.

In addition to Pressly closing, Porter Hodge had a sensational rookie debut in 2024, posting a 1.88 ERA in 43 innings. Ryan Brasier, formerly of the Dodgers, is a Cub now as well.

The D-backs will play the matchups between Justin Martinez and lefty A.J. Puk for ninth inning save chances. Kevin Ginkel will open the season on the IL with shoulder inflammation. Ryan Thompson and lefty Joe Mantiply will freqent the late inings as well. As of this writing it looks like Shelby Miller and Bryce Jarvis have both made the bulllpen, although that is unoffical. Ryne Nelson will be the long man. New addition Jalen Beeks has signed to be the third lefty in the pen.

In addition to Tucker the potentially potent Cubs offense is led by Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, and Dansby Swanson. First baseman Michael Busch smacked 21 homers in his first full major league season in 2024. Last year the Cubs finished seventh in the NL with 4.54 runs per game.

The D-backs led all of MLB with 5.47 runs per game last year. Despite losing Walker and Joc Pederson, they are still projected to have one of the top offenses in the league. Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte will take turns batting leadoff and second, creating a dynamic duo atop the order.

Series split. The Diamondbacks offense is likely to be better against right-hand starters than left, and the Cubs are starting two lefties this series in Steele and Imanaga. The D-backs bullpen may be in flux suddenly with the Ginkel injury. While the D-backs appear to be the superior team on paper and in all projection system, taking three of four is difficult.

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Members of Arizona’s Congressional delegation are calling on the Department of Defense to bring back website articles describing two Native American heroes from Arizona.

Reps. Greg Stanton and Yassamin Nasari, both Democrats, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to reinstate stories surrounding Pima/Akimel O’odham Marine Pfc. Ira Hayes and Hopi Army Specialist Lori Piestewa. The pair say references to Native American veterans, like the Navajo Code Talkers, have been restored but information on the two military members is still missing.

“We must never forget the sacrifices made by Native American veterans and service members throughout our nation’s history,” said Stanton and Nasari in the letter. They say the stories of Hayes and Piesetwa were removed because of the Trump administration’s ban of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “Efforts by the DOD to recognize any veteran’s selfless service to our nation have nothing to do with any type of DEI Initiative,” said Stanton and Nasari.

Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, also Democrats, sent a similar letter on Monday to Hegseth about the webpages. “To erase Pfc. Hayes’s and Specialist Piestewa’s contributions to our history is to erase American history,” they said. “DoD appears to be taking a slash and burn approach, removing web pages and only restoring them when the public holds the Department accountable. This approach is wasteful and creates unnecessary distractions from the Department’s important missions.”

Hayes was one of six Marines who raised the flag at Iwo Jima in 1945 during WWII. The event was immortalized in one of the most recognized photos in history that won a Pulitzer Prize. A simple search of his name returns zero results on the Defense Department website. However, he’s the focus of this article on the Iowa Jima victory.

Piestewa was the first female Native American soldier to be killed in action on foreign soil when her convoy was ambushed on March 23, 2003. Former Gov. Janet Napolitano renamed the mountain formerly known as Squaw Peak, near 24th Street and Glendale, as Piestewa Peak a month after she died.

Her name is only mentioned in one article about Native American women serving in the military. There was a Piestewa painting photo on the Defense Department website but the link now gives a 404 error. A photo is still up of Piestewa’s mother.

The controversy comes during the same month at least 10 articles mentioning the Navajo Code Talkers were pulled from U.S. Army and Department of Defense websites. They were reportedly replaced with several broken URLs labeled “DEI.” The Code Talkers were an indigenous group that helped the United States during World War II.

Some of the webpages were restored hours later. Defense Department officials say the Navajo Code Talker material was mistakenly erased.

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Spring training has come to a close, and while fans prepare for opening day, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ front office is still in the midst of some chalenging roster decisions.

In previous installments of our depth previews, we have already tackled the infield, outfield, and catcher groups, all of which will be linked at the bottom of the story. Next in line is the D-backs’ myriad of starting pitching which may just be the best in baseball.

Corbin Burnes – RHP

After inking a $210 million contract this winter it shouldn’t be a shock that Burnes is viewed as the clubs new ace starter. The right-hander is not only a former Cy Young winner, back in 2021, but has made four consecutive All-Star games, and has garnered Cy Young votes in each of the last five seasons.

There are few pitchers worth handing out such a large contract to, but he certainly fits the bill, even giving out a minor hometown discount. He has finished with an ERA below three in five of his seven major league campaigns, including 2024, and has only posted an ERA+ below 127 once.

Likely a top five starter in all of baseball entering 2025, he will headline the Diamondbacks’ rotation this season, and for years to come. Burnes will be making the fifth start of the season for the Diamondbacks due to needing to stay on regular rest.

Related Content: Corbin Burnes Tells All in Q&A on Rotation Order Situation

Zac Gallen – RHP

The Diamondbacks’ ace for years, Gallen is entering his final season before free agency. In a sentimental decision, Torey Lovullo tabbed Gallen to be the opening day starter. The right-hander is coming off a somewhat injury riddled 2024 season where he battled hamstring issues that relegated him to 148 innings pitched.

Still, he is only a season sepearated from a strong 2023 campaign where he started for the National League in the All-Star game. He has received Cy Young votes in three of the last five seasons and even received down-ballot MVP votes in 2023.

While he has been the D-backs’ most dominant arm during his tenure, he has also experienced his share of struggles. 2024 saw Gallen have issues with fastball command, something which had been a strength for him as a pitcher throughout his career. He will need to see a rebound in command in 2025 if he hopes to return to his Cy Young caliber form.

Merrill Kelly – RHP

Kelly missed substantial time in 2024 due to a right-shoulder strain. While his numbers last year look pedestrian, with a 104 ERA+ in a 73.2 inning sample, he is coming off incredible seasons in 2022 and 2023.

The righty pitched to a 4.70 ERA in 15.1 innings this spring but saw a return to form in his strikeouts with 9.4 K/9. Now guaranteed extra protection in the rotation and hopeful for a healthy season, Kelly will need a big rebound in his contract year.

Eduardo Rodriguez – LHP

The lone lefty in the Diamondbacks’ rotation, Rodriguez is in a similar boat to Kelly and Gallen. His 2024 season was stunted by a left shoulder strain, leaving him only available to pitch in 50 innings during his inaugural D-backs season.

Still, he is only one season removed from being one of the most dominant southpaws in the American League. Rodriguez posted a 3.30 ERA across 152.2 innings with Detroit in 2023, totaling a 131 ERA+.

Concern does lie in the fact that the lefty has now gone three consecutive seasons averaging less than one strikeout per inning spanning a seasons length. This is something that he seems to have rebounded on to some extent, with 10.8 K/9 across 10 spring training innings, but it will still be an important issue to monitor.

Brandon Pfaadt – RHP

The lone young starter in the rotation is Brandon Pfaadt. In 2024 he was easily the most durable Diamondbacks pitcher, posting more innings than any other starter with 181.2.

He also happened to be one of the most unlucky pitchers in all of baseball, with a 3.61 FIP compared to his inflated 4.71 ERA, a pattern that was similarily shared in his 2023 rookie season. While his surface numbers might not do him justice, he did see improvement in other aspects of his game.

The righty managed to limit walks to an incredible extent, allowing only 2.1 BB/9, an improvement from his 2.4 the year prior. He did so while also raising his strikeout rate over the much larger sample, now averaging 9.2 K/9 in 2024.

Pfaadt will need to limit location mistakes on his trademark sweeper. Batters hit just .215 against the pitch, and the WHIFF rates was 36%. But he tended to leave it in the middle of the zone at times, resulting in 13 of the 24 homers he allowed coming off the Sweeper.

Other rotation arms that will work as current MLB depth are Ryne Nelson and Jordan Montgomery.

Nelson was arguably Arizona’s best starter in 2024’s second half, but left something to be desired this spring, and lost out on a rotation spot due to the incredible roster crunch. According to Diamondbacks ON SI’s Jack Sommers, he will likely work out of the bullpen to start the year.

Montgomery was the D-backs’ prize acquisition entering 2024, but struggled massively throughout the entire season. Things havent gotten better this spring, with a 15.00 ERA in 3 innings thrown. While this is skewed by a particularily bad first outing, he was left out of the rotation for a reason.

There are still plenty of trade rumors regarding Montgomery, and these could very well still come to fruition. Arizona has a strong incentive to seek these out because of the lefty’s crippling $22.5 million salary.

Other names currently on the Diamondbacks’ 40 man roster who could see MLB time in case of injuries include Yilber Diaz, Tommy Henry, and Cristian Mena. All three are in the Triple-A Reno rotation and have MLB experience. Joe Elbis. is also on the 40-man, but will pitch in Double-A Amarillo to start the year, and is likely more than a year away from his MLB Debut.

Diaz, a top pitching prospect in Arizona’s system made his debut last season and looked promising. While 2025 might not open the door for him quite yet, 2026 and beyond could give him the room to burst into the club’s rotation.

Yu-Min Lin and Dylan Ray are two very promising young arms in the D-backs’ farm system. Both are likely at least a year away as well and will start the year in Double-A Amarillo with the Sod Poodles.