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CUBS LINEUP — A frustrating missed opportunity on Monday turned into a blowout win on Tuesday. Now, let’s see if the Cubs can finish off yet another series win at Wrigley Field as the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline approaches.
Colin Rea is on the mound for Chicago, and he’s going up against Tigers righty Keider Montero. Here’s a look at the Cubs lineup for the rubber match at 7:10 CT.
Note: This one is not on Marquee; instead, it’ll be televised nationally on ESPN and on the ESPN app.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
・Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
・Seiya Suzuki, RF
・Michael Busch, 1B
・Alex Bregman, 3B
・Ian Happ, LF
・Nico Hoerner, 2B
・Michael Conforto, DH
・Carson Kelly, C
・Dansby Swanson, SS
Everybody rested up from the hit parade last night? Great. Now do it again.
Seiya Suzuki is out in right, both Kevin Alcantara and Pedro Ramirez are on the bench, and Michael Conforto is the DH. Straightforward group for the rubber match. Let’s get it.
Detroit Tigers Lineup:
・Kevin McGonigle, SS
・Dillon Dingler, C
・Colt Keith, 3B
・Riley Greene, LF
・Spencer Torkelson, 1B
・Kerry Carpenter, DH
・Zack McKinstry, RF
・Hao-Yu Lee, 2B
・James Outman, CF
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Colin Rea, RHP
Can Colin Rea keep it up?
The Cubs’ permanent fill-in righty has a 3.04 ERA over his last five games, all of which have lasted at least 5.0 full innings pitched. The peripherals are meh over that stretch, but that’s just the nature of the beast for a (should-be) back-end/swing starter. Indeed, this is one of the longest stretches of consistently useful performance the Cubs have ever gotten out of Rea, and it’s coming at a pretty perfect time.
As a reminder, the Tigers are ranked as the 18th best offense versus right-handed pitching this season, and the wind is supposed to be blowing in at Wrigley Field tonight. Both of which are circumstances that should work in Rea’s favor.
There’s also an off-day tomorrow, so Craig Counsell could be a little more aggressive with his bullpen usage to help Rea out of trouble.
Detroit Tigers: Keider Montero, RHP
Keider Montero is a breakout performer for the Tigers this season, earning a 3.22 ERA (3.62 FIP) over 100.2 IP (15 starts, 6 long relief).
He’s actually been pitching out of the pen more recently, but has made plenty of starts this year, a lot of which were simply quality work. To be honest, I am not particularly familiar with Montero, but it seems like I should be. At age-26, Montero is still young enough for a believable breakout. Indeed, it seems to be happening before our eyes.
With that said, he’s more of a command guy (5.5% walk rate) than a strikeout artist (17.5%), who’s also good at keeping the ball off the barrel. And although he has a really low line drive rate, his fly ball rate is relatively huge. The wind is blowing in, but maybe someone can get one out nonetheless.
Broadcast Info:
・First Pitch: 7:10pm CT
・How to Watch Today’s Cubs Game: ESPN/ESPN App
・How to Listen to Today’s Cubs Game: 104.3 The Score
・Matchup: Chicago Cubs (57-44) vs Detroit Tigers (47-54)
Cubs vs Tigers – Key Injuries:
INJURY REPORT Cubs vs. Tigers · entering July 20, 2026
IL status and designations entering July 20, 2026.
Cubs vs Tigers – Wrigley Field Weather Report
Location: Chicago, IL
Temperature: 71 degrees
Wind: Blowing in from CF (7 MPH, gusts up to 12 MPH)
