Cubs need to make sure these 3 Tigers players don't beat them this weekend

A 7-1 victory on Thursday gave the Chicago Cubs their seventh straight series win and sent them off to Detroit for a highly anticipated three-game series against the Detroit Tigers.

Friday's game will be the toughest of the weekend, as the Cubs will go up against last season's AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. Everyone knows the force that Skubal is, but it is often the role players from Detroit who do the little things right and help the Tigers secure wins.

Here are three players Chicago must keep in check to secure its eighth straight series win.

Kerry Carpenter, Outfielder

An argument could be made that outside of Skubal, Kerry Carpenter is the best player on the Tigers' roster. He burst onto the scene in 2023 with a .278 average and 20 home runs in 118 games and 418 at-bats.

He missed time because of injuries last season but was still able to produce a .284 average with 18 home runs and a .932 OPS in 87 games. This season, Carpenter is second on Detroit with a .273 average, first in slugging percentage at .507 and third in OPS at .808.

He mashes right-handed pitching to the tune of a .287/.322/.529 slash line. It is essential that the Cubs' pitching limits Carpenter and forces someone else to beat them.

Riley Greene, Outfielder

If Carpenter isn't the best player on the Tigers' offense, then Riley Greene would be the next choice. He leads the Detroit offense in nearly every category and has been a staple for the club over the last two seasons.

Much like Carpenter, Greene has mashed right-handed pitching this season, with a slash line of .315/.354/.595 in 57 at-bats. The slash line against left-handers is much worse, at .200/.291/.286.

The high leverage at-bats for Carpenter and Greene will hopefully come against Caleb Thielbar, Genesis Cabrera or Drew Pomeranz, that way the Cubs can hope to neutralize the two left-handed sluggers.

Dillon Dingler, Catcher

Dillon Dingler has come out of nowhere this season for the Tigers to the tune of a .298 average with six home runs and 27 RBI in 171 at-bats.

He's been especially productive over his last 15 games, with a slash line of .365/.411/.538 and two home runs. His offensive production has been outstanding, but there is an area where the Cubs can gain an advantage on them.

Dingler has caught just six of 24 would-be base stealers this season, good for just 25 percent. Those metrics don't lie in his favor, but his top arm strength of 85.4 MPH is tops in MLB this season.

Chicago will not only need to limit Dingler's production at the plate, but also pick and choose thier spots to be aggressive on the base paths against Dingler and the Tigers pitching staff.