Updated July 22, 2026
Wrigley Field hosts the finale of an AL Central versus NL Central series as the Detroit Tigers (47-54) take on the Chicago Cubs (57-44) on Wednesday night. These teams have split the first two games of this series from Chicago. Detroit, sitting 6.5 games back in its own division picture, has an uphill climb ahead of it in a season that could see its ace dealt away before the deadline. Detroit's Keider Montero brings one of the better earned run averages in baseball to the mound, while Colin Rea has scuffled of late for a Cubs staff that is thin at the back end. Still, Chicago is a slight favorite at home in this matchup.
Montero's 3.22 ERA against Rea's 4.74 mark looks like a lopsided edge on paper, and in a vacuum it would point to Detroit having the edge in this game. But context matters here. The Cubs are getting this game at home, where they carry a 30-21 record this year, and they do it with an offense that ranks fourth in the majors in runs per game at 5.14, an on-base percentage of .340, and a lineup that has Pete Crow-Armstrong (21 home runs, 66 runs scored, 25 stolen bases) doing damage everywhere on the diamond. Rea has been homer-prone, but he has also shown he can grind through five or six innings even on nights his stuff isn't sharp, and Chicago's bullpen has options behind him.
Detroit's offense, meanwhile, has been a genuine liability for most of the year, ranking 18th in wRC+ and 19th in OPS. Riley Greene (.285, 15 HR, 50 RBI) is the one hitter capable of carrying the group on a given night, but with Kerry Carpenter day-to-day, the roster feels stretched thin for a club that is closer to selling than buying. Montero gives Detroit a real chance to keep this close, but my projection favors Chicago to close out the series with a win.
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Total Parlay Odds: +600 at DraftKings Sportsbook
The logic here starts with Chicago's home-field advantage and its statistical advantage on offense, which supports the moneyline leg without needing a big margin of victory. The under pairs naturally with that thinking since Montero has been stingy all year and Rea, for all his home run issues, has generally kept teams from piling up crooked numbers in bunches. Crow-Armstrong rounds out the card as a bat capable of producing extra-base hits even if the rest of the lineup goes quiet, making him the highest-floor prop on Chicago's roster tonight.
Category | Detroit Tigers | Chicago Cubs |
|---|---|---|
Batting Average | .234 | .246 |
OPS | .711 | .753 |
wOBA | .313 | .332 |
wRC+ | 98 | 111 |
Team ERA | 3.68 | 4.26 |
xFIP | 4.03 | 4.31 |
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