At the moment, the Chicago Cubs are one of the hottest teams in baseball after taking eight of their last 10 matchups in hand. Tonight, they’re trying to complete a sweep as they take on the Washington Nationals, who haven’t been able to find much momentum as they fight to get back to .500 and continue hunting for a Wild Card berth. Tonight, this series concludes at 6:45 p.m. ET at Nationals Park.
Let’s dive in with a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s Cubs vs. Nationals game courtesy of odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cubs vs. Nationals prediction, preview
The Cubbies are still trying to push up to first in the NL Central, and at four games shy of the top, there’s a chance they can take the lead at some point. They’re 70-50 with a +109 run differential, and they’ve gone 16-8 since the All-Star break at that with the third-most runs scored of any club in this span. Now, the Nats had high hopes for much of the campaign, but they’ve fallen below .500 at 59-62 and are 11-13 since the break. The run differential remains +22, so that is a positive despite the slump.
Chicago starts LHP David Peterson (6-7), who’s got a 5.35 ERA and 1.50 WHIP on the year. However, he’s been much better since joining the Cubs, going 3-1 with a 4.03 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP across seven appearances. Still, in that span, he’s struck out just 25 hitters in 38.0 IP and the overall K% remains low at 18.5% on the year, plus a 9.0% BB% isn’t great either. As for the relivers, the bullpen is respectable with an ERA of 3.88 that ranks 12th, plus a 129 WHIP and a 12.4% K-BB%.
Washington sends out LHP Jackson Kent (0-0) for his first MLB start. The rookie has 13 starts to his name in the Minors this season, in which he amassed an 8-3 record with a 4.38 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. The 67 strikeouts are nice over his 63.2 IP as well. The relief staff has its fair share of struggles though, ranking 27th in ERA at 4.84 with a 1.44 WHIP and an 8.1% K-BB%.
Looking at the bats, both of these units bring plenty of potential for production. Chicago’s .757 OPS ranks third while Washington paces the MLB at .768. They fall at identical rankings in wOBA, and power isn’t a problem for either side either – the Cubs are sixth in ISO (.168) and eighth in home runs (151), while the Nationals lead the MLB in both (.189 and 174). Plus, these clubs shell lefties. Chicago has an .806 OPS in the split while Washington’s reads .786.
Cubs vs. Nationals pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Cubs as a -158 Moneyline favorite on the road this afternoon, while the Nationals enter as +147 underdogs to win at home. The run total is set at 9.5.
We get two lefties on the mound against two of the best lineups in the league against southpaws. That’s exactly the kind of recipe that may lead to the over on the run total cashing tonight. Seriously, the Cubs and Nats are first and second in OPS and ISO against left-handed pitchers this year, and they’re third and fourth in wRC+ since the All-Star break. Need I say more? Peterson has been shaky and there’s a rookie throwing for the other side of this outing, so don’t overthink things.
