Cubs have edge on Arizona

PHOENIX -- Cubs beat writer Jeff Vorva breaks down the NL Division Series between the Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Advantage: Cubs

Mark DeRosa has been all-everything for the Cubs, playing a variety of positions and hitting .293 with 10 homers and 72 RBI. But he has been anchored at second base at the end of the year. With Orlando Hudson out with a thumb injury, ex-Cub Augie Ojeda is starting tonight for Arizona. The good-glove, usually light-hitting Ojeda batted .274 with one homer and 12 RBI in 54 games. He also threw a scoreless inning of relief this year.

Advantage: Cubs

Aramis Ramirez led the Cubs with 101 RBI. He also hit 26 homers, finished with a .310 average and played above-average defense. Arizona rookie Mark Reynolds hit .279 with 17 homers and 62 RBI in 111 games.

Advantage: Cubs

Gritty Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot seemed to tire at the end of the year, so the two-day break should help get him back on track. Gritty D-backs shortstop Stephen Drew hit 12 homers and had 60 RBI. One of those long balls came against the Cubs on July 21 at Wrigley Field in a game that vaulted his team to an eight-game winning streak.

Advantage: Diamondbacks

Geovany Soto or veteran Jason Kendall? It looks like Soto, who hit .389 with three homers and eight RBI in 18 games, will be getting most of the starts for the Cubs. Arizona's Chris Snyder is an OK hitter (.252, 13 HRs, 47 RBI) and an OK catcher.

Advantage: Cubs

This is a golden position. Alfonso Soriano led the Cubs with 33 homers, including a team-record 12 to lead off games. He also racked up 19 outfield assists. The D-backs counter with Eric Byrnes, a slugger (21 homers, 83 RBI) who can also fly (50 stolen bases) and covers a ton of ground in the field.

Advantage: No edge

The Cubs' Jacque Jones stepped up in the second half of the season, but his puny five home runs in 453 at-bats was astoundingly low. (Consider that backup infielder Ronny Cedeno, who spent a good chunk of the season at Triple-A Iowa, had four homers in 74 at-bats.) The Diamondbacks have former White Sox prospect Chris Young, who hit 32 homers and stole 27 bases.

Advantage: Diamondbacks

Cliff Floyd, who shared a lot of time in this spot with Matt Murton, hopes to turn an underwhelming regular season (.284, 9 HRs, 45 RBI) into a monster postseason for the Cubs. He's hit .444 in NLDS play last year. Arizona's Jeff Salazar, who was claimed off waivers late in spring training, played in just 38 major league games this year and has a homer and 10 RBI in 94 at-bats.

Advantage: Cubs

The Cubs will go with a three-man rotation with Carlos Zambrano (18-13, 3.95 ERA), Ted Lilly (15-8, 3.83) and Rich Hill (11-8, 3.92), while Jason Marquis (12-9, 4.60) heads to the bullpen. After Brandon Webb (18-10, 3.01), the D-backs have Doug Davis (13-12, 4.25), Livan Hernandez (11-11, 4.93) and Micah Owings (8-8, 4.30). Owings hit four home runs and had 15 RBI during the season.

Advantage: Cubs

Cubs middle reliever Carlos Marmol has been lights-out. Bob Howry has been solid. Closer Ryan Dempster (28 saves) has done well. This trusted trio will get a bulk of the playing time in late innings. Some argue Arizona closer Jose Valverde (2.66 ERA, a NL-best 47 saves) deserves some Cy Young Award consideration. Former Atlanta closer Bob Wickman is working out well as a setup man. Ex-Cub Juan Cruz is 6-1 with 87 strikeouts in 61 innings.

Advantage: No edge

Daryle Ward is one of the game's best pinch hitters, and is cleared to play this series after suffering a strained left thumb. Felix Pie (.215) is a solid late-inning defensive replacement. The D-backs have solid vets in Jeff Cirillo and Tony Clark.

Advantage: Diamondbacks.

Cubs skipper Lou Piniella has more than 1,600 career victories, five previous appearances in the playoffs and a World Series crown, with Cincinnati in 1990. Diamondbacks skipper Bob Melvin won a World Series ring in 2001 as a coach with Arizona.

Advantage: Cubs