Chicago — Cubs All-Star centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong went 2 for 2 with three walks, and made a dashing catch at the center field wall to kill Detroit's first chance.
The Tigers' hopes of building momentum from Monday's 10-inning victory evaporated in an 11-2 rout. Detroit's Framber Valdez (5-7) couldn't get out of the first inning, allowing five hits, six earned runs, two walks, and a strikeout. Two-thirds of an inning was all Valdez lasted before being replaced by Ty Madden, who walked Seiya Suzuki to make it 6-0.
The Cubs' offense was on fire from the start, with Crow-Armstrong's speedy triple leading off the bottom of the first. The next six Chicago hitters piled on, with Seiya Suzuki walking, Alex Bregman being grazed by a belt-high pitch, former Tiger Carson Kelly delivering a two-run single, Michael Busch singling another runner home, and Ian Happ making it 4-0 with a single. The fifth run came home when Crow-Armstrong took a bases-loaded walk on Valdez's 42nd and final pitch.
Cubs starter David Peterson (5-7) hummed through the first 6 2/3 innings, scattering three hits and a walk while striking out four. Detroit had a pair of runners on in the seventh but Crow-Armstrong made a running catch of Ben Malgeri's deep fly to end the inning.
The Tigers' only positives from the game were Dillon Dingler hitting his 22nd homer off Aaron Civale – his third in two games – in the ninth to prevent a shutout, and Madden scuffling through 3 1/3 innings to give his bullpen mates a rest.
The Tigers made a move earlier in the day to help an overworked bullpen by recalling Ty Madden from Triple-A Toledo. However, the move backfired when Madden promptly walked Seiya Suzuki to make it 6-0. The Tigers also sent infielder Zach McKinstry out to pitch the seventh and catcher Jake Rogers out an inning later.
The loss drops the Tigers to 22-31 on the season, and they still have a chance to win their fourth straight road series with a victory Wednesday night. The Tigers placed right-hander Jack Flaherty on the 15-day injured list shortly before the first pitch with right flexor inflammation but it did not appear he'll need any longer than the allotted time off.
The Tigers will look to bounce back from the loss and win their fourth straight road series against the Cubs on Wednesday night.
Source: Yahoo Sports