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2007 Cubs Diamondbacks Predictions

The Cubs started slow, but they came on strong to hold off the Brewers and Cardinals to capture the NL Central crown. Arizona was supposed to rebuilding this season, but they proved to be ahead of the curve and captured the NL West crown over favorites San Diego and Los Angeles. This series gets underway Wednesday night in the desert and heads back to Chicago for games three and four (if necessary) for the weekend.

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It wasn’t flash that got the Diamondbacks to this point. It was strong starting pitching, timely hitting, and incredible defense. The snakes don’t pack a lot of power, they don’t have tons of speed, and the pitchers don’t ring up many batters. Arizona just finds ways to win a lot like some of the recent Twins teams have in the AL.

The NL Central was not a strong division this season, but the Cubs held off the rest and won it with talent that they paid for in the offseason. The talent didn’t always perform up to standards, but it came through in the clutch.

It’s no secret that Brandon Webb, the 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner, will be the biggest difference maker for the Diamondbacks. Webb’s sinker is quickly becoming the best pitch in baseball. Eric Byrnes, known as Byrnsey on Fox Sports, came up with a breakout season finally earning his stripes as a pro. His combo of speed and power will come up big for Arizona.

It starts with Alfonso Soriano for the Cubbies. He got the Cubs back in the race in June with a big month and he turned in the best power performance in the bigs in September to shore up the Central division crown for the North Siders. Carlos Zambrano gets the ball in game 1. If he brings his A-game, the Cubs could be sitting in the driver seat in this short series. He was better on the road this season. But if we see the Zambrano that blows up, he and the Cubs could implode in the very first game of this series.

Look for Tony Clark’s veteran leadership to be big for this young Snakes’ team. He has slugged an unlikely 17 bombs this season and produced 51 runs in just 221 ABs. His pinch hitting could be critical in a close game.

The Cubs’ pen has struggled all season, but Carlos Marmol has been that one guy to give them some consistency. The Cubs will depend on him greatly here.

The possibility of Webb getting two starts gives the Diamondbacks a great shot if this thing goes the distance.

The Cubs are the more talented team all in all. Not too many teams have a Soriano, D-Lee, and Aramis Ramirez. Lou Piniella also gives Chicago the experience of having won the big one before. The Cubs barely got into the postseason with all of this though.

Can Chicago finally overcome the goat or will they get bit by theSnakes? This series figures to bring plenty of excitement.

Here are the detailed writeups for the first round of games:

Ocotober 1st, 2007