Chicago Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers preview, Monday 8/21, 5:40 CT

Monday notes...

• QUALITY STARTS: Cubs starters have recorded five consecutive quality starts, two more than their previous longest streak this season. They had made three in a row April 17-19, May 1-3, June 8-10 and June 20-24. Before the current streak began, the Cubs had not had even back-to-back quality starts in 13 games, since July 29-30. During the current streak, Kyle Hendricks started twice; Javier Assad, Jameson Taillon and Justin Steele, once. The first four starts were exactly six innings. Hendricks pitched 6⅓ Sunday. In the combined 30⅓ innings, they allowed 13 runs (10 earned) on 28 hits, two of them homers, while walking five and striking out 21. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• THAT OTHER LEAGUE: The Cubs are 23-20 overall in interleague play this year and 8-4 over the last 12 interleague games. This three-game series in Detroit will be the last one against an A.L. team for the 2023 regular season.
• HE’S HOT: Seiya Suzuki, last nine games since August 9: .344/.353/.719 (11-for-32), a double, a triple, three home runs, seven runs scored.
• ALSO HOT: Michael Fulmer, last 32 outings since May 28: 1.83 ERA (seven earned runs in 34⅓ innings), 1.049 WHIP, 16 walks and 37 strikeouts.
• SHUTTING THE DOOR: Adbert Alzolay has converted his last 14 save chances since July 5, the most in the majors during that stretch. The 14 straight converted save opportunities are the most by a Cub since Craig Kimbrel converted 16 consecutive save chances May 18-July 25, 2021.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

Tigers lineup:

Javier Assad, RHP vs. Alex Faedo, RHP

Javier Assad has been a real savior since moved to the rotation to start August. In three starts he’s posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.080 WHIP, something the team really needed. The numbers are even better over the most recent two outings: 2.08 ERA, 0.846 WHIP, and he went at least six in both of them.

He has never faced the Tigers and only a couple of Tigers have two PA against him, so hopefully he can continue to put up good innings.

Alex Faedo has made 21 MLB starts (12 last year, nine this year) with mediocre results: 5.36 ERA, 1.343 WHIP, 16 home runs in 99 innings.

He’s spent some time in the minor leagues this year as well as in the Detroit rotation. His last start, August 15 vs. the Twins, was very good: five shutout innings.

It’s a fairly small sample size, but Faedo has pitched much better on the road (three starts, 3.07 ERA) than in Comerica Park (six starts, 6.16 ERA). Perhaps the Cubs can take advantage of that tonight.

Statcast

Statcast

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. You can find out if Marquee is available via a provider in your area here.

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Tigers site Bless You Boys. If you do go there to interact with Tigers fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2023 Game Thread procedure will be like last year’s, similar to what we’ve used for Spring Training.

You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it’s published. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post.

You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.

Discuss amongst yourselves.