Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals Betting Pick & Prediction 9/1/24

Chicago and Washington are set to face off in an NL matchup at 1:35 PM ET. This one is being played at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, and the Cubs are currently on a five-game winning streak. They are 2nd in the NL Central, while the Nationals are 4th in the NL East.

Chicago is the money line favorite today, with the odds sitting at -128 compared to the Nationals at +109. Sunday’s forecast in Washington calls for cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 70s. MASN will be televising this one.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS VS CHICAGO CUBS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Washington Nationals Moneyline +109

This game will be played at Nationals Park at 1:35 ET on Sunday, September 1st.

HOW TO BET THE CUBS VS NATIONALS:

• We have the Nationals winning by a score of 6 to 5
• If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Nationals to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over

Chicago picked up a 5-3 road win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs had a big 5th inning, scoring four of their five runs. As for the Nationals, they scored their final run in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Cubs were favored at -112 on the money line.

Javier Assad started for the Cubs and picked up the win, going six innings and giving up three earned runs. He finished the game with just four strikeouts and allowed one home run. DJ Herz got the start for the Nationals and took the loss, going just 4 2/3 innings and giving up four earned runs.

Nico Hoerner had a two-hit game for the Cubs, scoring two runs and driving in one. Andrés Chaparro hit the game’s only home run while going 1/4 with three RBIs. José Tena also had a three-hit game for Washington.

Cubs Records & Stats

With their five-game winning streak, the Cubs have improved to 70-66 overall, and they are 10 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. Chicago leads the Cardinals by two games for the second spot in the NL Central. The Cubs have gone 20-26 against other teams in the NL Central this year.

Chicago has been playing well lately, as they have gone 8-2 across their last 10 games. This season, the Cubs have been good as the road favorite, going 13-10, and they are 34-37 on the road overall. As for their record at home, the Cubs are 36-29 this season.

The Cubs have been a solid run line bet on the road this season, going 42-29. Overall, they are 67-69 vs. the run line, with an average run margin of +0.3 runs per game. They have been a much better bet vs. the run line as an underdog (46-22) than as a favorite (21-47). Their average run margin in winning games is +3.6 runs per game, compared to -3.2 runs per game in losses.

The Cubs have played 98 games this season with over/under lines set below 9 runs, and their over/under record in those games is 62-69. Their average over/under line for the season is 8 runs, and the combined run average in their games is 8.7 runs. When the over/under line has been set at 9 runs, their record is 5-12-3. Today’s over/under line for their game against the Nationals is set at 9 runs, which is higher than the average line for their games this season.

Chicago is sending left-hander Jordan Wicks to the mound today vs. the Nationals. He has made six starts this season and has a record of 1-2 with an ERA of 4.18. Wicks’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.46. In his last outing, Wicks went just 1 2/3 innings, giving up two hits and two walks. He didn’t allow a run in the outing but did not pitch deep into the game. Wicks’ last outing came on June 14th. For the season, he has made one quality start and is averaging 10.29 strikeouts per nine innings.

Heading into today’s game, the Cubs are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .239, which is 13th in the MLB, and their team on-base percentage of .315 is 9th in the league. The Cubs have been good at drawing walks this season and are 6th in the league in that category.

Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ are the Cubs’ top power threats this season, as Happ leads the team with 23 homers, and Suzuki is right behind him with 19. Happ’s 76 RBIs also lead the team, while Suzuki is 3rd with 64 RBIs. Suzuki has been hot of late, going 9/24 in his last five games, and Happ has two homers during that stretch. Nico Hoerner comes into the game on a seven-game hitting streak.

Nationals Records & Stats

Washington is 61-75 overall, and they are 19 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. The Nationals have gone 18-20 against other teams in the NL East. So far, they have dropped two straight games, and the Nationals are 5-5 across their last 10 games.

At home, the Nationals are 32-36 this year compared to a 29-39 mark on the road. As the underdog, Washington is 49-64 this year and 12-11 when favored. The Nationals’ overall series record is 18-22-3.

Washington is 37-31 against the run line at home this season, but the Nationals have dropped their last two games at Nationals Park. They are 11-12 against the run line as the favorite this season and 66-47 as the underdog. The Nationals’ average run differential in their wins this season is +3.4 runs, compared to -3.6 runs in their losses.

The Nationals are 13-18-3 when the over/under line is set at 9 runs this season, and the O/U line for today’s game against the Cubs is also set at 9 runs. The combined run average in Nationals games this season is 8.9 runs per game, and their overall O/U record is 65-66. Only 16.2% of their games have had higher O/U lines than today’s 9-run total.

Washington is sending left-hander Mitchell Parker to the mound today vs. the Cubs. He has made 24 starts this season and has a record of 7-8 with an ERA of 4.26. Parker’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.26. Looking back at his last outing, Parker took the loss vs. the Yankees, giving up two earned runs in four innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. One of those outings was a gem, as he went seven innings and gave up just one earned run vs. the Rockies. Opponents are batting .251 off Parker this season.

Over the Nationals’ last eight games, Jacob Young is batting .407 with six runs scored, while José Tena has gone 10/31 with two homers. Tena also has an eight-game hitting streak coming into today’s game. Dylan Crews and Andrés Chaparro have both hit two homers over the team’s last eight games, with Crews going 6/21 and Chaparro going 7/28.

For the season, the Nationals are batting a collective .245, which is 10th in the league. However, they are just 27th in home runs and are averaging only 4.2 runs per game. Luis García Jr. is batting .290 with a team-high 63 RBIs, and CJ Abrams is hitting .243 with a team-high 18 homers.