Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals Prediction & Betting Tips 9/21/2024

Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals Preview

At 2:20 PM ET, the Nationals and Cubs face off in an NL matchup. This one is being played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the Nationals are looking to snap a five-game losing streak. They are 68-86 overall, while the Cubs are 79-75.

Chicago is currently favored on the money line, with the odds sitting at -141 compared to the Nationals at +119. Saturday’s over/under line is at 8.5 runs, and MASN will be televising this one.

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Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals Trends and Key Stats

• Across their last five road games, the Nationals are 0-5. This includes going 2-3 vs. the runline.
• In the Cubs’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 2-3 (SU) with 2-3 against the spread.
• Over their last ten games when playing as the favorite, the Cubs have won 5-5 straight-up, and have a 4-6 record vs. the runline.
• Over their previous ten games as the underdog, the Nationals have a straight-up record of 3-7 and a 5-5 record vs. the runline.

Chicago picked up a 3-1 win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs had a 1-0 lead after the first inning and didn’t score another run until putting up two in the 7th. As for the Nationals, they scored their only run in the 8th.

Jameson Taillon started for the Cubs and picked up the win, going six innings and not giving up a run. He finished the game with four strikeouts but issued two walks. Trevor Williams only went five innings for the Nationals, giving up one run on three hits.

Dansby Swanson was the only Cubs hitter to have more than one hit, as he went 2/4 with a home run. Christian Bethancourt also had a two-hit game for Chicago. For the Nationals, James Wood went 1/3 with a homer.

Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals Prediction

Washington is 68-86 overall this season, and they have dropped five straight games heading into today’s matchup at the Cubs. The Nationals are 24.0 games out of the NL East lead, and they trail the Braves by nine games for 3rd place in the division. In NL East play, they have gone 23-26 this year.

So far, the Nationals have gone 36-39 at home compared to 32-47 on the road. As the underdog, Washington is 53-73 this year, and they are 15-13 when favored. The Nationals have an overall series record of 19-24-6 this year.

The Nationals have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 85-69. They’ve been especially good on the road, where they are 45-34. They’ve been a better bet as the underdog, going 72-54. Their average run differential is -0.7 runs per game, but they’ve been especially good at covering the run line in their wins, where they’ve won by an average of 3.3 runs per game.

Washington Nationals games have a combined run average of 8.9 this season, and their over/under record is 73-75. The average over/under line in their games is 9 runs. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 20-23. In 60 of their games, the over/under line has been set higher than 8.5 runs, accounting for 39.0% of their games. In 51 games, the line has been set lower than 8.5 runs, accounting for 33.1% of their games.

Left-hander MacKenzie Gore gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Cubs on the road. He has made 30 starts this season and has a record of 9-12 with an ERA of 4.17. Gore’s WHIP for the season is 1.49. In his 30 appearances, he has turned in nine quality starts and is averaging 9.57 strikeouts per nine innings. Gore’s last outing came on September 15th, where he picked up the win, going six innings and giving up just one earned run. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight outings.

So far this season, the Nationals offense has been one of the worst in the league, as they are averaging just 4.1 runs per game, which is 23rd in the MLB. This is also the 26th ranked home run hitting team in the league. However, they do come into the game with a team batting average of .242, which is 11th in the league. One thing to note is that their team strikeout numbers are very good, as they have the 5th fewest strikeouts in the league.

CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. have been the Nationals top two power threats this season, with Abrams leading the team with 20 homers and Garcia right behind him with 16. Abrams is also batting .246 for the season and has gone 10/21 in his last six games. Wood has also gone deep three times in his last 10 games but is batting just .229 in that stretch.

With an overall record of 79-75, the Cubs are nine games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. Chicago has gone 21-28 against other teams in the division. The Cubs have won two straight games, and they are 5-5 over their last 10.

At home, the Cubs are 41-35 this season compared to 38-40 on the road. Chicago has won two straight games as the favorite, and they are 42-37 overall as the favorite. As the underdog, the Cubs are 37-38 this year. So far, they have an overall series record of 21-25-3, and they have dropped two straight series.

When the Cubs are favored, they are a poor bet against the run line, as they are just 26-53. However, when they are the underdog, they are a solid 49-26. Their overall run line record is just below .500 at 75-79, but they have been much better on the road, going 46-32. Their average run differential on the season is +0.4 runs per game.

Today’s over/under line for the Chicago Cubs game against the Washington Nationals is set at 8.5 runs. The Cubs’ games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 73-76. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 18-14. Overall, 29.2% of their games this season have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or higher.

Kyle Hendricks gets the start for the Cubs today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he gave up just one earned run in six innings of work. In that outing, he picked up the win. Looking back over his last four outings, Hendricks has allowed two earned runs in three of them. For the season, he has made 22 starts and has a record of 4-11. Hendricks’ ERA for the season is 6.25, along with a WHIP of 1.49. Opposing batters are hitting .282 off Hendricks this season. Per nine innings, he is averaging 6.33 strikeouts and 3.05 walks.

For the 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 contest. As a team, they are batting .243, which is 10th in the league, and are near the top of the league in on-base percentage. Chicago’s offense has been led by Ian Happ, who has a team-high 25 home runs and 85 RBIs.

Nico Hoerner comes into the game on an eight-game hitting streak and has gone 11/21 in his last six games. For the season, he is batting .271 and has five homers. Seiya Suzuki is 2nd on the team with 21 homers and is batting .279 overall.

Our prediction for today’s Nationals vs. Cubs game is to take the Cubs on the money line at -141. We see the Cubs coming out on top by a score of 5-4. If you’re looking for a parlay option, you could also take the over, as the line is sitting at 8.5 runs, and we have this one finishing with nine total runs.

Looking at the starting pitcher’s strikeout numbers, we have MacKenzie Gore finishing with six K’s, while Kyle Hendricks is predicted to finish with four. If you’re looking for a player prop bet, you could take the over on Gore’s strikeout line.

Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals Betting Tips

• Take the Cubs on the moneyline
• On the run line we like the Nationals (+1.5)
• Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over

Chicago Cubs Injury Report

Washington Nationals Injury Report