Detroit's offense didn't need fireworks, just a clean 4th inning to bust the game open, and that's exactly what it got. It capped a series where both teams traded blowouts before the Tigers grabbed the last word.
The Tigers came into Wednesday having won 3 of their last 5, and Riley Greene's power surge from earlier in the series set the tone even after he wasn't the story in the finale. Detroit's rotation has taken hits all month, but Montero has quietly been one of the more reliable arms in a beat-up staff, and it showed again against a Cubs lineup that couldn't solve him.
Chicago's pitching depth is thinning at an inconvenient time, with Edward Cabrera, Hoby Milner and Justin Steele all working back from injury and Maton freshly added to that list. Detroit isn't exactly healthy either, having just lost Jack Flaherty to the IL with a flexor strain and already missing Justin Verlander, Jackson Jobe and Reese Olson for the year. Neither staff is at full strength, and it showed in how ragged both ends of this series got.
A 5-1 final with the Tigers scoring in 4 of 9 innings and the Cubs managing just 1 run tells the story: Detroit's lineup did just enough against Rea while Montero and the Tigers' bullpen slammed the door. Chicago still holds the better record and the division standing, but this series was a reminder that even a good team can get outplayed on a given week.