The second half of the Diamondbacks season begins with a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Cubs sit on the edge of Wild Card contention, 3.5 games back of the Mets for the third Wild Card spot. With a series win, the Diamondbacks can deal a heavy blow to Chicago’s postseason hopes for the second straight season.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!What’s hurt the Cubs this season has been injuries, with nine pitchers and two outfielders currently on the injured list. Despite those injuries, they’ve won seven of their last 10 games and have pushed themselves back into the race. They’re a dangerous team for the Diamondbacks, as anything less than their best effort could serve to continue to muddy the Wild Card race instead of clearing out the mud.
For the Diamondbacks, winning two of three is going to be imperative to improve their postseason chances. Already down in the season series to Chicago after dropping two of three at Chase Field, they’ll need to win the series to force the second tiebreaker. That tiebreaker would be decided by intradivision record, with Arizona having a 19-14 against NL West foes compared to the Cubs, who have a 12-21 record against the NL Central.
With such an important series coming up for both teams, it would be a good idea to put a little refresher on the injury situations for both teams.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks expect left-hander Jordan Montgomery to return on this road trip to start the second half. It’s unclear who the team will deploy against the Cubs, although Zac Gallen and Brandon Pfaadt are a safe guess for two of the three pitchers. They’ll also come out of the break with right-handers Ryne Nelson and Yilber Diaz to round out the rotation for the time being.
Merrill Kelly and Eduardo RodrÃguez are both looking at an August return, with Kelly on track for the middle of August. Both RodrÃguez and Kelly are throwing bullpens, on a Tuesday and Thursday schedule as the team tries to build them up after months on the shelf with shoulder injuries. Once all three pitchers are back, Arizona will be as close to full strength as they can be for the season.
Chicago Cubs
Left-handed starter Jordan Wicks and center fielder Cody Bellinger headline the players currently out for Chicago. Bellinger suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left middle finger when he was hit in the left hand by a pitch on July 10. Fellow outfielder Mike Tauchman injured his left groin, diagnosed as a Grade 2 strain, on June 17. Wicks suffered a Grade 2 strain of his right oblique on June 14, putting him on the shelf until at least August.
The Cubs could get key late-inning arm Julian Merryweather soon, as the right-hander already has gotten in a pair of rehab outings. The same is true for right-hander Caleb Kilian. Merryweather had been out since April 7 with a rib stress fracture in his back and Kilian has missed the entire season so far with a right shoulder strain. Both pitchers could be back in time for the series, especially Merryweather, who emerged as a late-inning option last season.
Yency Almonte is out for the year after undergoing labral surgery on his right shoulder. Right-hander Keegan Thompson suffered a right rib fracture and will be out for a while, possibly the rest of the regular season. Right-hander Colten Brewer fractured his non-throwing hand punching a wall in the dugout following a poor relief appearance on July 6.
Here’s the full rundown of the Cubs’ injuries, on MLB.com.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
