Chicago Cubs vs Detroit Tigers – Series Preview (July 20-22): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4

The Cubs (56-43) rebounded nicely after opening the second half with a loss, taking two easy wins from the Twins (49-51) to gain a little ground in the Wild Card standings. They were not able to creep any closer to the Brewers (62-37), though Milwaukee suffered a big loss when it was announced that starter Brandon Woodruff would undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. It’s similar to the right capsule repair he underwent in October of 2023, a procedure that required nearly two years of recovery.

Far more important to the Cubs than hoping the Brewers stumble is taking care of business against the teams on their schedule. That includes three against the Tigers (46-53), who have been playing just well enough to entertain the idea of not selling at the deadline. Still, they’re 6.5 games behind the White Sox and 4.5 out of a Wild Card spot, so it’s likely their pitching staff will be dismantled in the next couple of weeks.

Detroit has a below-average offense that features a 99 wRC+ (18th in MLB) and a .710 OPS (20th), though their 119 home runs (14th) make them dangerous in spurts. The Tigers’ 9.4% walk rate (9th) is very strong, but it’s more than offset by a .234 OBP (25th), 23.2% strikeout rate (23rd), and a mere 33 steals (30th). They simply don’t reach base enough, and they aren’t aggressive when they do.

The offense is paced by catcher Dillon Dingler and rookie infielder Kevin McGonigle, both of whom have accumulated 4.0 fWAR this season to put them in a tie for sixth across all MLB hitters. McGonigle is one of the few players in the league with more walks (61) than strikeouts (59), but his nine homers mean he’s not much of a power threat. Dingler is more or less the opposite, with a low walk rate and 19 homers.

If the bats somehow manage to catch fire, the pitching makes this team very dangerous. The Tigers’ 3.59 staff ERA ranks fifth, with a good balance between the rotation (3.42, 3rd) and the bullpen (3.83, 11th). While Tarik Skubal missing a few weeks due to an arthroscopic elbow surgery set them back, they’ve gotten a big lift from Casey Mize. The Cubs will face neither of them in this series, so that’s good.

At the risk of ascribing too much importance to this series, it could play a big role in determining what the Tigers choose to do with their trade chips. Dropping two or getting swept could push them far enough back that they may start looking to field offers ahead of the deadline to rip the band-aid off and move forward with whatever is next for the organization.

Game Time and Broadcast Info

• Monday, July 20 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee
• Tuesday, July 21 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee
• Wednesday, July 22 at 7:10pm CT on ESPN

Starting Pitchers

What to Watch For

• Roberts is currently listed as the probable starter for Tuesday, presumably as an opener for David Peterson.
• Craig Counsell told reporters on Sunday that Peterson would get the start on Tuesday, but MLB lists Roberts.
• The expectation was that Javier Assad would get a start, but accruing less than 60 days of service time through the end of the season means the Cubs get an extra year of club control.
• They may look to do that with Taillon returning after missing over a month with a hamstring issue.
• It’s also possible this is just a goof and we’ll see Assad on Tuesday.
• Alex Bregman has three homers in his last five games.
• Michael Busch is on a five-game hit streak that includes 10 knocks.
• Nico Hoerner may have found his groove with eight hits against the Twins.