The Cubs, meanwhile, are riding the top offense in baseball since mid-June, and it showed up early. Pete Crow-Armstrong has been arguably the best hitter in the sport over that stretch, and with Kyle Tucker starting to heat back up after a long slump, Chicago's lineup didn't need long to get rolling against Valdez.
A six-run first inning put this one away before most fans had finished their first beer. Michael Conforto added a two-run homer in the 5th to keep piling on, and the Cubs tacked on runs in the 7th to turn a laugher into a rout. Peterson, shaky in his last start, settled in against a Tigers lineup missing Carpenter's bat and cruised to the win.
It's the kind of response the Cubs needed. Blowing an 8-6 walk-off loss in 10 innings the night before could've lingered, but instead Chicago flipped the script immediately, leaning on an offense that's been the story of their second half. Detroit, on the other hand, now has to navigate a rotation crunch with Flaherty out and Mize's availability in question, all while trying to salvage the finale of this series.