Chicago @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 22, 2013 ) Chi. Cubs 4, Arizona 2

The future continues to look bright for the Chicago Cubs, who brought in another collection of prospects in dealing away Matt Garza. The Arizona Diamondbacks, who host the Cubs on Tuesday, have their focus more on the present. The Diamondbacks lost the series opener Monday and have dropped four of their last five games to fall into second place in the National League West, a half-game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Chicago has been showing off some of its future lately with Junior Lake, who went 4-for-5 with his first major-league home run in Monday’s 4-2 win and is 9-for-17 in his first four games. Arizona is averaging two runs while going 1-3 since the All-Star break despite playing a pair of sub-.500 teams in San Francisco and the Cubs. The Diamondbacks have six more games against the Cubs and lowly San Diego Padres in the current homestand.

TV: 9:40 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), FSN Arizona

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Travis Wood (6-6, 2.79 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks LH Patrick Corbin (11-1, 2.35)

Wood has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last nine starts but struggled in his final outing before the All-Star break, allowing three runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings against St. Louis. The left-hander had not surrendered more than seven hits in any of his first 18 starts. Wood has not had much success against Arizona, going 1-3 with a 6.33 ERA in four starts.

Corbin was dominant in his last two starts before the break, totaling 20 strikeouts while allowing two runs over 14 2/3 combined innings. The 24-year-old has issued only 33 walks in 130 1/3 innings and has worked into the seventh inning in five of his last six turns. Corbin was knocked around for four runs on six hits in six innings at Chicago on June 2 but still managed to pull out a win.

WALK-OFFS

1. Diamondbacks RHP Brad Ziegler will get the bulk of the save opportunities going forward. Arizona has blown a NL-high 19 saves.

2. Lake’s three RBIs on Monday were the first of his young career.

3. Arizona SS Didi Gregorius had three of the team’s six hits Monday, matching his total from the previous eight games.

PREDICTION: Diamondbacks 3, Cubs 2