Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs Betting Pick & Prediction 9/20/24
From Wrigley Field in Chicago, we have a Nationals vs. Cubs matchup. Friday’s forecast in Chicago calls for light rain and temperatures in the mid to upper 70s. MARQ will be televising this game, and the Cubs are favored on the money line (-173). The over/under line is currently at 9 runs.
Washington comes in with a record of 68-85 and they are 4th in the NL East. The Nationals have lost four straight. Chicago will start Jameson Taillon, while the Nationals are starting Trevor Williams.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS VS CHICAGO CUBS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Washington Nationals Moneyline +146
This game will be played at Wrigley Field at 2:20 ET on Friday, September 20th.
HOW TO BET THE NATIONALS VS CUBS:
- 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 7-6 win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs had a huge 5th inning, scoring five of their seven runs. As for the Nationals, they scored three runs in the 6th and added two more in the 7th but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Javier Assad got the start for the Cubs, going just five innings while giving up three runs and striking out five. He did not factor in the decision as Ethan Roberts got the win out of the bullpen. Porter Hodge got the save. Patrick Corbin only went 4 1/3 innings for the Nationals, giving up five runs on eight hits.
At the plate, the Cubs were led by Seiya Suzuki and Dansby Swanson, who each had three hits and two RBIs. Ian Happ and Cody Bellinger also had two RBIs apiece. Joey Gallo hit the game’s only home run for Washington.
Nationals Records & Stats
Washington is 68-85 overall, and they come into today’s game vs. the Cubs having dropped four straight games. These four losses have the Nationals 23 games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead. So far, they are 23-26 in divisional games.
At home, the Nationals are 36-39 compared to a 32-46 mark on the road. This season, the Nationals are just 15-13 as the favorite, and they are 53-72 as the underdog. Washington’s road losing streak is at five games, and they are 28-42 as the road underdog this year. So far, their overall series record is 19-24-6.
Washington has been a great bet against the run line this season, going 85-68. They have been especially good on the road, where they are 45-33. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 72-53 against the run line. Their average run differential in their wins is +3.3 runs per game, while it is -3.8 runs per game in their losses.
The Nationals are on the road today against the Cubs, with the over/under line set at 9 runs. The combined run average for Nationals games this season is 8.9 runs, and their over/under record is 73-74. When the over/under line is set at 9 runs, their record is 14-19-4. The over has hit in three straight games for Washington.
Trevor Williams gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Cubs on the road. He has made 11 starts this season and has a record of 5-0 with an ERA of 2.22. Williams has made just one quality start this year and is coming off a outing in which he gave up just one earned run in 5 2/3 innings of work. In that outing, he gave up two homers. Williams has a WHIP of 1.08 and is averaging 7.46 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are batting .223 off Williams this season.
The Nationals offense has been below average this season, averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 23rd in the league. As a team, they are batting .243, which is 12th in the league, and have done a good job of avoiding strikeouts. However, they are near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a collective isolated power (ISO) of just .133.
CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. are the Nationals’ top two home run hitters this season, and they are also the team’s top two hitters in terms of RBIs. Abrams has gone 7/11 in his last three games and is currently on a five-game hitting streak. James Wood has two homers in his last five games but is batting just .235 over that stretch.
Cubs Records & Stats
With a record of 78-75, the Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 10 games. So far this season, they have gone just 21-28 in divisional matchups. The Cubs will host the Nationals today with an overall record of 40-35 at home and 38-40 on the road.
Chicago has dropped two straight series and their overall series record is 21-25-3 this year. The Cubs have also lost three straight series at home. As the favorite, Chicago is 41-37 this season and 37-38 as the underdog. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games overall.
When betting the run line on the Cubs, it’s been more profitable to take them on the road than at home. Their overall run line record is 74-79, but they are 46-32 on the road and 28-47 at home. They have been a better run line bet as the underdog, going 49-26, compared to 25-53 as the favorite.
Chicago Cubs games have gone over the total in two straight games, and the over/under record for the season is 73-75. The over/under line for today’s game against the Washington Nationals is set at 9 runs. The Cubs have played in 22 games with over/under lines set at 9 runs this season, and their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game.
Through 26 starts, Jameson Taillon has a record of 10-8 and an ERA of 3.54. He has made 14 quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he gave up two earned runs in six innings of work. In that outing, he gave up one home run. Taillon’s ERA at home is 2.8 compared to 4.86 on the road. Looking back over his last four outings, he has allowed at least one homer in three of them. The right-hander has been solid at home, going 6-4 compared to 4-4 on the road.
So far this season, the Cubs are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 12th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per game. As a team, the Cubs are batting .244, which is 11th in the league, and are near the top of the league in walks. Chicago’s offense has been led by Ian Happ, who has 25 homers and 85 RBIs, both of which are the best on the team.
Seiya Suzuki comes into the game on a 10-game hitting streak and is 2nd on the team with a .280 batting average. Over his last seven games, Michael Busch has three homers and is hitting .318. Nico Hoerner has also been swinging the bat well of late, as he is on a seven-game hitting streak.