Wednesday MLB: Chicago Cubs (34-33) at Detroit Tigers (39-31)
The Cubs had Tuesday’s game in Detroit seemingly in hand with a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and closer Kevin Gregg, he of the 1.15 ERA in his past 15 appearances, on the mound.
Instead, pinch-hitter Ryan Raburn smacked a two-run walk-off homer, which dropped the Cubs to 3-10 in one-run games on the road. The Cubs entered Tuesday’s game with a 2.69 ERA in June, best in the National League, but have only a 9-9 record to show for it.
And Chicago has opened as a +111 money line underdog on WagerWeb.com for Wednesday’s Game 2 of this series.
The Tigers have won five games in a row and have batted .311 and outscored opponents 33-18 during the winning streak. Detroit also welcomed back Magglio Ordonez to the lineup on Tuesday after the struggling former All-Star had been benched for four games. Mags was 0 for 2 with a walk Tuesday.
“I thought he looked much more relaxed,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “I thought he looked better. I really did. I thought his approach at the plate looked good, and I thought he actually looked much more comfortable. He’ll be out again there [Wednesday], and we’ll see.”
Detroit starts leading AL Rookie of the Year candidate Rick Porcello (8-4, 3.54) on Wednesday. He is tied for the Tigers’ lead in wins with potential Cy Young Award candidate Justin Verlander and tied for fifth in the American League with Verlander and Josh Beckett. Porcello is 2-1 in four starts in June and has allowed just two earned runs in his last two outings.
The Cubs counter Rich Harden (4-3, 5.27). He was shelled last time out at home but has fared better on the road this season, where he is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA compared with a 2/3 with a 6.56 ERA at home. He is 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA in five career starts against the Tigers and unbeaten when receiving at least two runs of support.
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