The Chicago Cubs take on the Detroit Tigers in the first game of a three-game series on Monday, August 21. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET from Comerica Park. Javier Assad (2-2, 3.11 ERA) will take the mound for the Cubs in place of the injured Marcus Stroman, while Alex Faedo (2-4, 5.16) goes for the Tigers.
Chicago enters as -130 moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Detroit coming in at +110. The total is set at 9.
Cubs-Tigers picks: Monday, August 21
Injury report
Cubs
Out: SP Marcus Stroman (right rib cartilage fracture), RP Nick Burdi (appendectomy), RP Brandon Hughes (left knee inflammation)
Tigers
Out: RP Mason Englert (hip)
Starting pitchers
Javier Assad vs. Alex Faedo
Assad spent most of the season as a reliever, but he has now put together two quality starts in a row and excelled on the mound in place of Stroman. In his latest start, he lasted six innings against the White Sox, allowing two earned runs and recording four strikeouts. Before that, he held the Blue Jays to just one run in seven innings, recording two strikeouts.
Faedo has also looked solid this month. To kick off August, he faced the Twins, and allowed three earned runs in 4.2 innings while recording five strikeouts. He took on the Twins in his second start of August, as well, and held them runless over five innings while striking out six.
Over/Under pick
The Tigers are one of the lowest-scoring offenses in the entire league, and while the Cubs now rank top-five in runs per game, they have been scoring in the three-to-five run range quite frequently this month. Faedo and Assad have both been solid on the mound, and I think we’ll see a lower-scoring game this evening.
Pick: Under 9
Moneyline pick
The Tigers won three of four against the Guardians in their latest series, and the Cubs won two of three against the Royals. The Cubs’ lineup has been warming up of late as the North Siders attempt to crawl up the standings in the NL Central. Assad has also been solid, and should be able to control this Tigers offense, which sits second-to-last in MLB in runs per game.
Pick: Cubs -130