Arizona Diamondbacks (16-14, third in the NL West) vs. Chicago Cubs (19-12, second in the NL Central)
Chicago; Friday, 2:20 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Zac Gallen (1-1, 3.14 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 17 strikeouts); Cubs: Colin Rea (3-1, 4.61 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 24 strikeouts)
LINE: Cubs -140, Diamondbacks +118; over/under is 7 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday to open a three-game series.
Chicago has gone 11-5 in home games and 19-12 overall. The Cubs are 16-5 in games when they record eight or more hits.
Arizona has gone 7-8 in road games and 16-14 overall. The Diamondbacks are 10-5 in games when they out-hit their opponents.
The matchup Friday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nico Hoerner has four home runs, 13 walks and 26 RBIs while hitting .291 for the Cubs. Seiya Suzuki is 14 for 37 with five home runs and seven RBIs over the past 10 games.
Nolan Arenado has two doubles and five home runs for the Diamondbacks. Ildemaro Vargas is 15 for 40 with a double, a triple and four home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 7-3, .281 batting average, 4.91 ERA, outscored opponents by five runs
Diamondbacks: 4-6, .271 batting average, 7.47 ERA, outscored by 23 runs
INJURIES: Cubs: Riley Martin: 15-Day IL (elbow), Dansby Swanson: day-to-day (glute), Hunter Harvey: 15-Day IL (tricep), Porter Hodge: 60-Day IL (elbow), Caleb Thielbar: 15-Day IL (hamstring), Jordan Wicks: 15-Day IL (forearm), Shelby Miller: 60-Day IL (elbow), Ethan Roberts: 15-Day IL (finger), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow), Christopher Austin: 60-Day IL (knee), Daniel Palencia: 15-Day IL (oblique), Cade Horton: 60-Day IL (forearm)
Diamondbacks: Carlos Santana: 10-Day IL (groin), Gabriel Moreno: 10-Day IL (back), Jordan Lawlar: 60-Day IL (wrist), Tyler Locklear: 10-Day IL (elbow), A.J. Puk: 60-Day IL (elbow), Blake Walston: 60-Day IL (elbow), Andrew Saalfrank: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Cristian Mena: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Corbin Burnes: 60-Day IL (elbow), Pavin Smith: 60-Day IL (elbow), Justin Martinez: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
