Michigan Sports

Cubs pound Tigers early for big win Tuesday

CHICAGO -- Pete Crow-Armstrong reached five times on two hits and three walks, helping the Chicago Cubs beat Framber Valdez and the Detroit Tigers 11-2 on Tuesday night.

Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly each drove in two runs, and Michael Conforto connected for a two-run homer. Dansby Swanson had two hits and scored three times.

Chicago collected 11 hits while improving to 23-10 in its last 33 games, bouncing back after losing 8-6 in 10 innings in the series opener on Monday night.

Dillon Dingler hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning for Detroit, which had won three of four. The All-Star catcher went deep twice on Monday night.

Valdez (5-7) recorded just two outs in his first start since July 9. It also was the first outing for the left-hander since a stint on the bereavement list following the death of his maternal grandmother.

Crow-Armstrong tripled and scored on Kelly’s two-run single in Chicago’s six-run first. Crow-Armstrong also forced home a run with a bases-loaded walk before Valdez was replaced by Ty Madden.

It was more than enough for David Peterson (5-7), who pitched 6 2/3 innings of three-hit ball for Chicago. The left-hander struck out four and walked one.

Peterson was acquired in a June 25 trade with the New York Mets. The lefty surrendered 10 runs in his second start with the Cubs, but he has allowed three runs in 17 1/3 innings over his other three starts with his new team.

Crow-Armstrong added an RBI single in the third, and Conforto hit his ninth homer in the fifth against Brenan Hanifee.

Madden provided a boost for Detroit’s weary bullpen by pitching 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Infielder Zach McKinstry and catcher Jake Rogers each got three outs on the mound for the Tigers.

Flahety on 15-day IL

The Tigers placed right-hander Jack Flaherty on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right flexor inflammation.

He pitched four innings in Monday night’s 8-6 victory at the Cubs, allowing three runs and four hits.

The 30-year-old Flaherty is 3-8 with a 4.59 ERA in 19 starts this season. He finalized a $35 million, two-year contract with Detroit in February 2025.

“It wasn’t a clear-cut IL when we woke up (Tuesday) morning, and then as the day went on and the more (opinions) we got, the more we realized he wasn’t going to pitch in five or six days,” manager A.J. Hinch said.

Madden, recalled from Triple-A Toledo, put a fresh arm in Detroit’s weary bullpen. The right-hander replaced Framber Valdez in the first inning Tuesday.

The Tigers used four relievers to cover 4 2/3 innings in Sunday’s 3-2 loss at the Los Angeles Angels. Then they used five relievers for six innings in their series opener against the Cubs.

The 26-year-old Madden was 0-0 with a 3.09 ERA in eight appearances for Detroit this year. He is 2-0 with a 4.71 ERA in 11 starts and one relief appearance with Toledo.

“There’s a little different edge and sort of a different attention to detail, I think, when he gets to the big leagues and he’s performed really well here,” Hinch said.

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