A promising interleague showdown will light up your Tuesday night, as the Detroit Tigers (56-61) pay the Chicago Cubs (67-49) a visit at Wrigley Field to open up their brief two-game set. Both clubs are coming off a loss and will definitely be looking to rebound this evening. Which team will get back on track first? Read on below to get a full breakdown of this matchup.
For more MLB action, you can check out also our preview between the Mariners and Rangers. Enjoy.
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Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago Cubs Preview
Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago
When: Tuesday, August 18, 8:05 PM ET
Line: Detroit Tigers (+155) vs. Chicago Cubs (-175); total: 0.0 —View all MLB Lines
Betting on the Detroit Tigers
The losing woes continue for the Detroit Tigers, who have lost five of their last seven. The Tigers can’t let their frustrations get the best of them, as they still have enough time to make a final bid for a fifth-straight postseason appearance this year. They’re exactly five games behind the Orioles for the final wild card spot in the American League. A win tonight in their series opener against the Chicago Cubs could definitely get themselves going again.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Taking the hill for the Tigers is Anibal Sanchez (10-10, 4.95 ERA), who’s been on his own slump of late. Sanchez has gone 0-3 with a 6.94 ERA over his previous four turns. That stretch includes a 6-1 defeat to the Royals on August 11, during which the 31-year-old was rocked for five earned runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 frames.
However, it’s worth noting that he pitched pretty well in his last contest versus the Cubs on June 9, logging in 7 2/3 scoreless innings to pick up the 6-0 victory. Sanchez holds a 3-6 record with a high ERA of 5.06 and a .275 opponents’ batting average on the road this season.
If Detroit emerges triumphant later, that’ll be mainly because of their pair of hard-hitters Ian Kinsler and Miguel Cabrera. Kinsler has been lighting it up at the plate this month, batting .339 despite going hitless in four at-bats in Sunday’s loss at Houston. Cabrera, meanwhile, is beginning to regain his usual form, going 4-for-7 with 3 RBIs and a homer in the past two games. He’s also 4-for-11 off Cubs starter Jason Hammel.
The Chicago Cubs were sent back down to earth last night, as they were bested by Chris Sale and their cross-town rival Chicago White Sox, 3-1, which snapped their nine-game winning streak. Despite this, the Cubs still remain in an excellent position to make the playoffs, holding a four-game advantage over the Giants for the final wild card slot in the National League.
They’ll be aiming to redeem themselves from this setback, when they send Jason Hammel (6-5, 3.10 ERA) on the mound tonight for the first meeting of their two-game interleague series with the Detroit Tigers.
Hammel has been solid over his previous three outings despite being on a short leash. The 32-year-old righty has only given up four runs in 15 1/3 innings of work to pick up three consecutive victories for the Cubs. But Hammel may be in for a very rough night later, as he is 2-2 with a dismal 7.18 ERA and .336 opponents’ batting average across eight games (five starts) opposite the Tigers.
On offense, expect the Cubs to heavily rely on their pair of rookies: Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber. Bryant has gone 11-for-35 (.314) in his previous 10 contests and is 1-for-3 versus Anibal Sanchez. Schwarber, on the other hand, enters his first career game against Detroit having delivered four home runs and 14 RBIs over the last 11 outings.
Chicago is 5-5 in its last 10 games with Hammel starting.
