Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Preview, Sunday 6/5, 1:20 CT

You have a chance to see something this afternoon that hasn't been done very often in recent Cubs history.

If the Cubs win this game and go 9-1 on the homestand, it will be the first time any Cubs team has won nine games on a single homestand since May 27-June 7, 1998, when they lost the first two games of an 11-game homestand, then won nine in a row.

No Cubs team has won nine games on a 10-game homestand since April 14-26, 1970, when that year's team went 10-0 on a homestand against the Phillies, Expos, Cardinals and Astros.

I wouldn't put anything past this year's Cubs. Also, no rain today, for this, the final game between the Cubs and D-backs in 2016 (barring the somewhat remote possibility of meeting in the postseason).

Here are today's particulars.

Cubs lineup:

Fowler CF, Zobrist 2B, Bryant 1B, Soler LF, Baez 3B, Russell SS, Szczur RF, Montero C, Arrieta P 

Diamondbacks lineup:

Bourn CF, Gosselin 2B, Goldschmidt 1B, Lamb 3B, Herrmann C, Owings SS, Tomas LF, Drury RF, Corbin P

Jake Arrieta allowed three runs in seven innings to the D-backs April 10 in Phoenix, including home runs by Paul Goldschmidt (no shame there) and Socrates Brito (no longer on the active roster). Jake also homered himself in that game, a 442-foot blast that is the longest by any pitcher this year. He is going for his 21st consecutive victory dating back to August 4, 2015.

Patrick Corbin has had a rough time of it this year, and especially in his last four starts (6.65 ERA, 1.708 WHIP). His K/9 ratio is down this season (from 8.3 to 6.5), his BB/9 up (from 1.8 to 2.9) and he's already allowed 11 home runs in 65⅓ innings, more than he gave up in 85 innings last year. He has not faced the Cubs since July 23, 2013 (boxscore for amusement value only). Only three current Cubs have ever faced him, and Dexter Fowler has had some success (5-for-12, a double, a triple).

Today's game is on CSN Chicago.

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Diamondbacks site AZ Snakepit. If you do go there to interact with Diamondbacks fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2016 Game Thread procedure will be the same as the one used at the end of 2015. Here's how it works.

You'll find the game preview posted separately on the front page, two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream™ containing the preview will also post on the front page. The First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads will be published in that stream, as well as the recap. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post, and at the time I write the recap I will rename the stream "Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads" so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.

You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread, all the overflow threads and recap in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). They will also appear in the game's StoryStream™ as noted above.

The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at one hour, two hours and 2:45 after the scheduled game time.

Discuss amongst yourselves.