With Michael Conforto waiting, Cubs vie to take rubber game from Tigers

The Chicago Cubs have been getting instant offense off the bench from Michael Conforto, who hit his MLB-leading fourth pinch-hit home run of the season in an 11-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.

Conforto is an outfielder by trade but has had to carve out a bench role because Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki are entrenched as starters.

Conforto already has tied the franchise single-season record for pinch-hit homers, set by Glenallen Hill in 1999, and hopes to be involved in the decisive contest of a three-game series against visiting Detroit on Wednesday night.

"All year, it feels like (Michael's) biggest hits have been pinch hits," Chicago manager Craig Counsell said. "I don't know if there's any blueprint for it, but Michael has done a fabulous job at it. You feel like it's a real weapon to have somebody like that."

Wednesday's matchup will be the rubber game of the series after Detroit won 8-6 in 10 innings on Monday and the Cubs took Tuesday's game.

Colin Rea (7-6, 4.74 ERA) will start for Chicago on Wednesday. The right-hander snapped a two-start winning streak in his last appearance on Friday, allowing four runs (three earned) in six innings as the Cubs lost 5-2 to Minnesota.

Rea is 0-1 with a lifetime 6.43 ERA vs. Detroit in three appearances (one start).

Right-hander Keider Montero (6-5, 3.22 ERA) will start for Detroit on Wednesday. He has been used as a reliever throughout July after making starts in 15 of his first 16 appearances this season, but Montero is moving back into the rotation.

He got a win in his most recent outing, tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief as the Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 on Friday.

Montero has faced the Cubs once, on June 7, 2025. Serving as the bulk reliever on a bullpen day, he gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings and didn't figure into the decision.

Montero has gone an inning-plus in every relief appearance he's made this month. A versatile pitcher such as Montero gives Detroit manager A.J. Hinch extra flexibility as the team is in a stretch of playing 13 games in 13 days.

"I've always said when I pitch (Montero), I'm going to pitch him a lot," Hinch told the Detroit Free Press.

"When you see him go out for a second inning or a third inning or a fourth inning, part of that is competitive and strategic. The other part of it is to keep him stretched out to where it doesn't disrupt his volume."

Montero's ability to ease back into the rotation quickly took on even greater importance after the Tigers were forced to place Jack Flaherty (right flexor inflammation) on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday. Flaherty reported discomfort after throwing four innings in the series opener the day before.

Hinch explained the decision to put Flaherty on the IL after Tuesday's game.

"It wasn't a clear-cut IL (decision) when we woke up this morning," Hinch told reporters. "And then as the day went on and the more opinion we got, the more we realized he wasn't going to pitch in five or six days."

Flaherty has made 19 starts for Detroit this season, going 3-8 with a 4.59 ERA.

--Field Level Media