Detroit Tigers at Chicago Cubs

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
DET	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	7	0
CHC	6	0	1	0	2	0	2	0	—	11	11	0

Framber Valdez (5-6, 4.57 ERA) got the ball for Detroit looking to build off a dominant last outing — 7.0 innings, 1 earned run, 9 strikeouts against the Athletics. David Peterson (4-7, 5.97) took the mound for Chicago after a shaky ND against Baltimore where he walked 4 in just 5.0 innings. First pitch was 7:05 PM CT at Wrigley.

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FINAL

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ML

Total

Tigers(47-53)

WLWWL

2

+1.5-186+113o8.5+144

Cubs(56-44)

LWWLW

11

-1.5+186-113u8.5-141

Best BetCubs -121

Postgame

Cubs cashed easily, blowing it open with a six-run first as the offensive-gap bull case played out exactly as expected.

Pregame

The Cubs were priced around -109 when this pick went out, and that number looked fair against a Tigers offense missing Kerry Carpenter and a Detroit rotation already stretched thin. Chicago's lineup has been the best in baseball since mid-June, and betting the home side with that kind of offensive gap made sense even before first pitch.

Detroit came in banged up in the rotation, and it showed. The Tigers placed Jack Flaherty on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right flexor strain, thinning a staff that already has Jackson Jobe, Reese Olson and Justin Verlander gone for the year, plus Casey Mize day-to-day with groin and wrist issues. Kerry Carpenter sat out with a heel problem, stripping more thump from a Detroit lineup that had just won a walk-off classic in extras the night before.

Framber Valdez

(6-7)·4.41 ERA

Jul 9 vs Athletics

W

7.0IP

1ER

9K

0BB

87P

07/21 Lineup

David Peterson

(6-7)·5.52 ERA

Jul 9 @ Orioles

ND

5.0IP

1ER

2K

4BB

77P

07/21 Lineup

The Cubs, meanwhile, are riding the top offense in baseball since mid-June, and it showed up early. Pete Crow-Armstrong has been arguably the best hitter in the sport over that stretch, and with Kyle Tucker starting to heat back up after a long slump, Chicago's lineup didn't need long to get rolling against Valdez.

A six-run first inning put this one away before most fans had finished their first beer. Michael Conforto added a two-run homer in the 5th to keep piling on, and the Cubs tacked on runs in the 7th to turn a laugher into a rout. Peterson, shaky in his last start, settled in against a Tigers lineup missing Carpenter's bat and cruised to the win.

Detroit Tigers

(14)

• Day-To-DayKerry Carpenter (RF) — Carpenter (heel) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cubs.07/21
• Day-To-DayCasey Mize (SP) — Mize is dealing with groin tightness and a wrist injury following his early departure from Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Angels, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.07/19
• 15-Day-ILJack Flaherty (SP) — The Tigers placed Flaherty on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right flexor strain.07/22
• 60-Day-ILJavier Baez (SS) — Baez (ankle) will embark on a rehab assignment with Single-A Lakeland on Tuesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.07/20
• 60-Day-ILJackson Jobe (SP) — Jobe (elbow) struck out three and allowed one unearned run on three hits and no walks across three innings Sunday in his rehab start with Double-A Erie.07/20
• 60-Day-ILWill Vest (RP) — Detroit transferred Vest (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.07/19
• 60-Day-ILBailey Horn (RP) — Horn (elbow) will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILBurch Smith (RP) — Smith (shoulder) will start a rehab assignment with Single-A Lakeland on Friday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILJustin Verlander (SP) — Verlander (hamstring/hip) announced Wednesday via social media that he will retire following the 2026 season.07/08
• 60-Day-ILWenceel Perez (RF) — Perez (orbital) played light catch on the field at Comerica Park on Tuesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.07/07
• 60-Day-ILParker Meadows (CF) — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Meadows (forearm) has yet to resume hitting and is without a timeline to return from the 60-day injured list, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.06/25
• 60-Day-ILTrey Sweeney (SS) — Sweeney will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery this week, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.06/05
• 60-Day-ILBrant Hurter (RP) — The Tigers placed Hurter on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to lumbar spine inflammation.05/29
• 60-Day-ILReese Olson (SP) — The Tigers placed Olson on the 60-day injured list Tuesday after he underwent a right shoulder labral repair Feb. 2 that will result in him missing the 2026 season.05/08

Chicago Cubs

(15)

• Day-To-DayTrent Thornton (RP) — Thornton was removed from Monday's game against the Tigers after being struck on the left foot by a comebacker, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.07/21
• 10-Day-ILMatt Shaw (RF) — Shaw is still feeling discomfort related to his left hand sprain and has yet to resume swinging a bat, Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.07/18
• 15-Day-ILPhil Maton (RP) — The Cubs placed Maton on the 15-day injured list Monday with right knee tendinitis, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.07/20
• 15-Day-ILBen Brown (RP) — Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Friday that Brown (neck) has begun to increase his activity and has taken part in workouts with plyometric balls, MLB.com reports.07/20
• 15-Day-ILEthan Roberts (RP) — Roberts (forearm) tossed a perfect inning in a rehab appearance Sunday with Triple-A Iowa.07/20
• 15-Day-ILDaniel Palencia (RP) — Manager Craig Counsell said Friday that Palencia (elbow) is hopeful to return to the Cubs' bullpen in mid-August, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.07/18
• 15-Day-ILEdward Cabrera (SP) — Manager Craig Counsell said Friday that the Cubs expect Cabrera (hamstring) to return from the injured list in the second week of August, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.07/18
• 15-Day-ILHoby Milner (RP) — Manager Craig Counsell said Friday that Milner (abdomen) will likely return from the injured list sometime around Aug. 1, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.07/18
• 15-Day-ILRiley Martin (RP) — The Cubs announced June 10 that Martin (elbow) has resumed playing catch, MLB.com reports.06/22
• 60-Day-ILShelby Miller (RP) — The Cubs announced July 5 that Miller (elbow) has resumed a throwing program in Arizona, MLB.com reports.07/20
• 60-Day-ILHunter Harvey (RP) — Manager Craig Counsell said July 8 that Harvey (triceps/shoulder) has resumed a throwing program at the Cubs' facility in Arizona, but the right-hander remains without a clear timeline for a return from the 60-day injured list, MLB.com reports.07/20
• 60-Day-ILJustin Steele (SP) — Steele (elbow) was cleared to begin ramping up his throwing program Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.07/08
• 60-Day-ILPorter Hodge (RP) — The Cubs transferred Hodge (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.05/08
• 60-Day-ILCade Horton (SP) — The Cubs transferred Horton (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.05/08
• 60-Day-ILTyler Austin (1B) — The Cubs placed Austin (knee) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08

It's the kind of response the Cubs needed. Blowing an 8-6 walk-off loss in 10 innings the night before could've lingered, but instead Chicago flipped the script immediately, leaning on an offense that's been the story of their second half. Detroit, on the other hand, now has to navigate a rotation crunch with Flaherty out and Mize's availability in question, all while trying to salvage the finale of this series.

Detroit Tigers

(47-53)

Jul 21W@ Cubs8-6

Jul 19L@ Angels2-3

Jul 19W@ Angels7-0

Jul 18W@ Angels2-1

Jul 12Lvs Phillies0-5

Chicago Cubs

(56-44)

Jul 21Lvs Tigers6-8

Jul 19Wvs Twins10-1

Jul 18Wvs Twins6-2

Jul 18Lvs Twins2-5

Jul 12W@ Reds8-4