(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

This post was written by our City Alliance partner The Windy City Sports Blog. The original post can be seen here. We wanted to give Cubs fans the opportunity to predict/preview the series. We have to disagree with his “Cubs in 4″ statement, but we’ll let the teams settle that one tonight at Chase.

A black cat, Leon Durham, Steve Bartman, and a billy goat. Terms often used to describe the Cubs when trying to obtain a coveted pennant and World Series appearance. Once again, Cubs fans thrust into excitement and the media goes wild. As a cautious Cubs fan, I always get a tad worried just as I was before game one in 2003 against Atlanta. Still, the haunts of Bartman have been revived by the media and even Comcast has to scramble in order to bring the games in HD. I just hope I dont' have a $5 surcharge on my next bill. Based on how the Cubs played out this season, get ready for some late nights on Wednesday and Thursday. Here's a breakdown of the series:

Probable Starters: Game 1 (Zambrano vs. Webb), Game 2 (Lilly vs. Davis), Game 3 (Hernandez vs. Hill)

How the Cubs win this series:

Pitching: First, they'll need Zambrano to be dead on and he did great when on the road (12-4, 3.06 ERA), a far cry from his home record (6-9, 4.96 ERA) where he seemed to always be flustered by the hometown crowd. Zambrano hasn't faced Arizona this year, but will get two outings in this series. Zambrano will be pumped up for this game, however, he'll need to keep his emotions at a minimum and remain focused ahead or behind. Second, how will Lilly and Hill fare? Lilly's last playoff appearance was in 2003 with Oakland and he totalled nine innings and a zero ERA. Hill has never pitched in the post season and has been the odd man out when looking for run support. If the Cubs can get at least 5 to 6 innings from the starters, they should fare well with support from Marmol and Howry. The scary aspect is Ryan Dempster. He has 28 saves in 31 opportunities, but he sure can keep you on edge.

Intangible: Jason Marquis. Marquis won't get a chance to start, but if Zambrano, Lilly, or Hill struggle early, he can be used to step in early and will provide depth to the bullpen.

Hitting: Will the Cubs keep the bats hot or fall into an abyss with runners left on base and where home runs become a rarity? Soriano will be the key factor and hopefully he'll stay hot after his 14 home runs in September. DeRosa was super hot in September and his experience in post season play will definitely help. The key factor in this series may be Jacque Jones who hit .320 against Arizona this year and seems to come through when you least expect him. The Cubs do have good depth off the bench with Daryle Ward, Matt Murton, and can use Felix Pie when needed to pinch run.

Intangible: Ryan Theriot. Call me crazy, but I expect him to have a huge series both offensively and defensively.

How the Diamondbacks win this series:

Pitching: Everyone is focusing on last year's Cy Young winner, Brandon Webb, but he's never pitched in the post season. Webb lost his only appearance against the Cubs, but only gave up 2 runs in seven innings. The key could be Livan Hernandez in game two and his playoff experience. He's been in 10 games and has gone 6-2 with Florida and San Francisco. The problem for Hernandez is his 20 earned runs in his last six starts. Doug Davis got a win agains the Cubs this year, but he's another guy who hasn't seen any post season play and has struggled as of late with his last win coming on September 4th. Just like the Cubs who have Marmol, Howry, and Dempster, the Diamondbacks have Juan Cruz, Jose Valverde, Tony Pena, and Brandon Lyon who have surpassed pre-season expectations regarding a horrid 2006 bullpen.

Intangible: Bullpen. Avoid Valverde, 47 saves, at all costs. This pen is 32-20 in one run games and that's usually a huge factor in post season play.

Hitting: You might not have heard of any of them (besides Augie Ojeda), but these guys produce when it counts. Guys like Chris Young and Stephen Drew were just making headway when they filmed The Show, but now they're staples on a team that won 90 games. Top to bottom, these guys deliver and they have speed to move around the bases.

Intangible: Chris Young. This guy had 3 homeruns and 6 RBI's vs. the Cubs this year and seems to be following in the footsteps of Alfonso Soriano. Soriano had 33 homeruns and Young had 32. Only difference might be speed and the fact he plays center field.

Overall: The Cubs may be on the road, but it will be a mixed crowd at Chase Field which is still not sold out. The Cubs have the experience and a manager that has guided them from worst to first. Experience will definitely play a huge factor in this series and everything seems to be pointing in the Cubs direction. Odd though, both Thom Brenneman and Mark Grace call the games for the Dbacks. Hey, every oddity counts when it comes to the Cubs.

Prediction: Cubs in 4

This post was written by our City Alliance partner The Windy City Sports Blog. The original post can be seen here. We wanted to give Cubs fans the opportunity to predict/preview the series. We have to disagree with his “Cubs in 4″ statement, but we’ll let the teams settle that one tonight at Chase.

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