Chicago @ Detroit preview

Chi. Cubs at Detroit

Last Meeting ( Jul 4, 2018 ) Detroit 2, Chi. Cubs 5

The Chicago Cubs will try to break out of their latest offensive slump and pad their National League Central lead when they travel to Detroit for a quick two-game set against the Tigers starting Tuesday. Chicago leads second-place Milwaukee by three games in the division and owns the best record in the NL.

The Tigers have lost five of their last six to fall 23 games below .500, but they are a respectable 32-30 at home. The Cubs salvaged a split of their four-game series in Pittsburgh over the weekend despite scoring only four runs - all on solo home runs - and going 0-for-17 with runners in scoring position. "We have to get our offense straightened out," Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters. "I can't make any excuses for them either. We just have to get better." Tigers outfielder Nicholas Castellanos alone has outproduced the Cubs’ entire lineup lately, as he hit .393 with three doubles, two homers, and 10 RBIs to earn American League Player of the Week honors.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, FS Detroit

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Kyle Hendricks (9-9, 4.11 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Jordan Zimmermann (5-5, 4.36)

The Cubs have won Hendricks’ last four starts and six of his past seven. The 28-year-old matched his season-high with eight strikeouts last time out, allowing four runs over six-plus innings in a win over Milwaukee to even his record. Hendricks faced the Tigers for the first time on July 3 and gave up three runs over five frames in a no-decision.

Zimmermann had put together consecutive quality starts before getting tagged for six runs over five innings in a loss to the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. The 32-year-old has given up multiple homers in five of his last six starts. Zimmermann is 1-5 with a 4.58 ERA in nine starts against Cubs, but he hasn’t faced them since 2015.

WALK-OFFS

2. Tigers 1B Jim Adduci is 9-for-24 during a six-game hitting streak and is hitting .362 in 13 games this month.

3. Chicago RHP Yu Darvish requested an MRI when he experienced discomfort in his right elbow after pitching just one inning of a rehab start for Class-A South Bend on Sunday.

PREDICTION: Cubs 6, Tigers 4