The Chicago Cubs have been trying to win the division as they are second in the NL Central with a 64-59 record so far. Young righty Javier Assad is taking the mound and did not factor into the decision against the Chicago White Sox where he threw six innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits with two walks (one intentional) and four strikeouts.
The Detroit Tigers have been struggling throughout the season as they are third in the AL Central with a 57-67 record. Right-hander Alex Faedo is taking the mound and is coming off a no-decision against the Minnesota Twins where he gave up no runs on one hit with a hit by pitch, a walk and six strikeouts in five innings.
Match Details
Fixture: Chicago Cubs vs Detroit Tigers
Date & Time: Monday, August 21, 6:40 p.m. EDT
Venue Comerica Park in Detroit, MI
Cubs vs Tigers Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
| Chicago Cubs | -1.5 (+124) | -130 | Over 9 (+102) |
| Detroit Tigers | +1.5 (-148) | +110 | Under 9 (-122) |
Odds Subject to Change**
Cubs vs. Tigers Key Stats
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs have been one of the best teams offensively as they are eighth in MLB while scoring 5.02 runs per game and a .750 team OPS. They have been incredible throughout the month of August as they have a .259/.330/.480 team slash line while averaging 5.76 runs in 17 games. Central fielder Cody Bellinger has been doing outstanding at the plate as he has a .933 OPS with 20 home runs, 64 RBIs, 71 runs scored and 17 steals on 20 attempts.
Javier Assad has been doing well mostly out of the bullpen as he is 2-2 with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP while throwing 66.2 innings in 22 games (four starts). Hitters have been struggling to get base hits as he has a .229 opposing batting average thus far. Assad has never pitched against the Tigers in his young career so it will be interesting to see how he does against a young and struggling offensive team.
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers have been one of the worst teams at the plate as they are 29th in the majors with a .678 team OPS while averaging 3.95 runs per game. They have been hitting the ball poorly as they are tied for 26th in MLB with a .689 team OPS while scoring 3.95 runs per game. Shortstop Javier Baez has been hitting extremely poorly as he has a .223/.266/.326 slash line with eight homers, 51 RBIs, 52 runs scored and 11 steals without being caught thus far..
Alex Faedo has been struggling so far as he is 2-4 with a 5.16 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 45.1 innings of work. Hitters have been doing well against him as he has allowed nine home runs in 45.1 innings, or more than a homer every five innings. This is Faedo’s 22nd career start so it will be interesting to see how he does here as a young pitcher with less than 100 MLB innings under his belt.
Cubs vs. Tigers Prediction
When looking at the last seven games for these pitchers, there is a major difference as Javier Assad is 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in 24 innings while Alex Faedo is 2-3 with a 5.45 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP in 34.2 innings during that stretch. Since the All-Star Break, these offenses are on two completely different levels as the Cubs are averaging 6.09 runs in their 34 games so far while the Tigers are scoring 4.11 runs in their 35 games since the break. Take the Cubs to cover the run line in this game as the best option here.
