Everything to know about FOX Saturday Baseball: Cubs-Cardinals, Dodgers-Reds, Marlins-D-backs

Major League Baseball

Updated May. 25, 2024 9:17 p.m. ET

One of baseball’s most storied rivalries is renewed this Saturday on FOX, while two of the most unique stars in the sport face off in Cincinnati and last year’s National League pennant winner looks to continue a recent hot streak in Miami.

It’s a classic National League Central battle in St. Louis as the red-hot Cardinals host the archrival Chicago Cubs with a chance to gain ground in the division. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers are set to take on Elly De La Cruz and the Cincinnati Reds in a clash of exciting teams. Later, the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are coming off an impressive series victory over the Dodgers, host the Miami Marlins on FS1.

[Exclusive: Elly De La Cruz is MLB’s ‘create-a-player,’ and he’s only getting better]

Here’s everything you need to know about this exciting triple-header slate!

Cubs at Cardinals (7:15 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Probable starters: Jameson Taillon (Chicago, 2.20 ERA) vs. Matt Liberatore (St. Louis, 5.40 ERA)

The Cubs and Cardinals have had very different starts to the season. St. Louis has come back to life after a very rough beginning thanks to a surprising sweep of the American League powerhouse Baltimore Orioles earlier this week. Chicago, meanwhile, enters the weekend just 2-8 over its last 10 games thanks to a slumping offense that is hitting just .181 with a .557 OPS over that span.

The Cubs’ surprising strength this season has been its starting rotation, despite an Opening Day injury to ace Justin Steele. And while the veteran Taillon has been overshadowed by the incredible MLB debut of Shōta Imanaga, he has more than held his own with a 2.20 ERA and 22 strikeouts over six solid starts.

Dodgers at Reds (7:15 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Probable starters: Walker Buehler (Los Angeles, 4.05 ERA) vs. Hunter Greene (Cincinnati, 3.22 ERA)

The two teams face off again in Cincinnati one week after the Dodgers took three of four in L.A. in a series punctuated by Ohtani’s walk-off hit — his first as a Dodger — in Sunday’s finale. That spoiled a stellar performance from young Reds ace and Los Angeles-area native Hunter Greene in his hometown, when Greene allowed two runs on four hits over 6.1 innings, striking out eight.

Shohei Ohtani (大谷翔平) notches his first Dodgers walk-off hit

On the other side, Buehler is coming off his best start since returning from his nearly two-year injury absence, when he held the Reds to three hits over six shutout innings last Saturday.

Marlins at Diamondbacks (10:10 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports App)

Probable starters: Sixto Sánchez (Miami, 6.41 ERA) vs. Jordan Montgomery (Arizona, 4.98 ERA)

Miami actually finished ahead of Arizona in the wild-card race last year, with Miami taking the No. 5 seed while Arizona got the No. 6 seed. But the Marlins now seem destined for another rebuild, sitting at 17-34 and having already dealt star second baseman Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Arizona has weathered its own bumpy start to the season and is coming off a great recent stretch, taking two out of three from the Dodgers in Los Angeles in a series that brought echoes of the D-backs’ NL Division Series triumph over L.A. last October. Still, the D-backs have a lot of ground to gain in order to get back into the playoff race this time around.

Now, check out some pregame reading courtesy of FOXSports.com!

MLB Roundup: Are the Dodgers still the favorites for the top seed in the National League? Should the Cubs and Cardinals buy early? What’s the biggest issue with the DIamondbacks? Who should trade for Jazz Chisholm? Rowan Kavner and Deesha Thosar answer five burning questions from around the league.

Can De La Cruz really steal 100 bases this year? Should Ohtani’s incredible start to the season at the plate dissuade him from trying to pitch again? Do the Phillies have the best rotation in baseball? Are the Royals for real? Rowan Kavner looks at these questions and more in his latest “Buy or Sell” column.

The Phillies really are the best team in baseball, and it’s not just their rotation. Deesha Thosar offers three reasons why the Phillies are actually that good, including the continued excellence of Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm’s power surge and more.

All Rise, because Aaron Judge is back. The 2022 AL MVP has firmly put the worst slump of his career behind him over the past few weeks. He detailed how in an exclusive interview with Thosar.

Fans can’t get enough of Paul Skenes, and that includes gamblers. FOX Sports betting analyst Sam Panayotovich takes a look at how the electric Pirates rookie is shifting sportsbook lines just three starts into his MLB career.

Who’s the next potential MLB breakout star? With Skenes now thriving in the big leagues, Kavner takes a look at 10 prospects who could become the next rookie to take baseball by storm this season.

Who could be dealt at the trade deadline? As trade season heats up, Thosar examines five All-Star hitters who could get dealt from struggling teams this summer, including Alex Bregman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and more.

Team of the Week: Judge is one of three New York Yankees on Ben Verlander’s latest team of standouts, a star-studded group that also includes Mookie Betts, Adley Rustschman and more.

Power Rankings: The Yankees have fully returned to “Evil Empire” mode, while the Braves keep sliding in Verlander’s most recent list of baseball’s best teams.

Want more betting angles? Judge’s resurgence has given him a major push up the MLB home run list and the AL MVP leaderboard, while the Detroit Tigers‘ Tarik Skubal is the new front-runner for AL Cy Young. Plus, be sure to check out the latest World Series odds here, and stop by our betting hub for all the latest MLB odds!

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