This forgotten Cubs name is now behind the Tigers’ stunning rise

If the weekend series against the Detroit Tigers was any indication, the Cubs may not be the favorite to win the World Series this season. After dropping two of three games to the Tigers this weekend, the Cubs are now two games behind Detroit for having the best record in Major League Baseball. Sure, the umpires certainly played a part in the Cubs' struggles this season, but there is a gap between where the Cubs are and where they have to be to beat the Tigers.

There is no shortage of connections that the Cubs have to the Tigers. On the field, Matthew Boyd, Javier Baez, Gleyber Torres, and Zach McKinstry are among the players to have played for both teams. In Torres' case, he was a highly-touted Cubs' prospect before being moved at the 2016 Trade Deadline for Aroldis Chapman.

The strongest connection may be in the Tigers' front office. Former Cubs' executive Scott Harris is serving as the general manager of the Tigers. Harris is another understudy of Theo Epstein's front office with the Cubs and has been at the center of the construction of the Tigers' core this season.

Former Cubs' exec relying on 2016 experience as guiding light for Detroit Tigers

Harris was a member of the Cubs' front office in 2016 and uses that experience when looking at where things are headed with the Tigers.

“When I first started, I think we lost 96 games that year, and a few years later, we were on buses in a parade down Michigan Ave. And so seeing that whole cycle, you know, play out helps me collect a set of experiences that allow me to use some pattern recognition, like ‘I’ve seen this before.’ I’ve seen this player get to this level before. I’ve seen what it can do if you challenge a player to elevate a certain aspect of this game, " Harris told Jon Greenberg of The Athletic.

As it turns out, the friendly rivalry between Harris and Jed Hoyer could be something to monitor at the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline. Both the Tigers and Cubs are expected to be in the market for bullpen help this deadline season. If Hoyer wants to reach the level of expectation the Tigers are at, he will need to boost the Cubs' pitching staff to a point where it can become dominant like the Tigers' pitchers were this weekend.