Alright, alright, we've got the Cubs against the Diamondbacks here. No picnic I promise, this ain't a tea party; it's going to be a nail-biter.

Let's check out our mound men first. On the Cubs' side, we've got Matthew Boyd, who last season was slicing through the opposing batters like cheese, scoring a 2.805 ERA and 10.8 strikeouts-per-nine-innings. This is impressive, even more so given his playoff performance - proof that when the pressure's on, this man has ice water in his veins.

However, the Diamondbacks are sending out Eduardo Rodriguez, who frankly, didn't have a stellar season the last time he climbed the hill. His 5.261 ERA and 8.8 K/9 sure ain't as impressive as Boyd's, will he recover? How bounce back. That's the question of the day, ladies and gents.

Now, let's talk firepower. Looking at the Cubs, our key players include Kyle Tucker, a decent slugger; Ian Happ, who brings considerable power to the plate; and Seiya Suzuki, sure, the name doesn't ring a bell yet, but he held a .283 batting average last season - not too shabby.

For the Arizona side, we've got Ketel Marte, who outshone most with flawless consistency, and Eugenio Suarez, who brought in a whopping 101 RBIs. Josh Naylor also adds power to this lineup with 31 homers.

Harking back to the yesteryears, these two have a history. More often than not, the previous matchups between Cubs and Diamondbacks have been a real see-saw affair, but then again that's history, right?

Now, the geniuses out there would look at last season's records and go - 'Hey! D-backs look stronger!' They're not wrong, Arizona does edge out with a better win-loss ratio. In recent face-offs though, the Cubs had their day under the sun, with the most recent game ending in their favor. However, remember that one swallow does not a spring make.

What's my two cents in all this, you may ask? Prepare for a bit of a snake bite, folks!

Albert’s Prediction: Arizona Diamondbacks by 2