Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals Prediction & Betting Tips 9/19/2024

Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals Preview

Patrick Corbin is starting for the Nationals on Thursday, and he is facing Javier Assad and the Cubs. However, the Cubs are the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -180 compared to the Nationals at +150. The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs.

First pitch from Wrigley Field is set for 7:40 PM ET, and MASN will be televising this NL matchup. The Nationals are 68-84, and the Cubs will look to avoid a third straight loss, as they are 77-75 (3rd NL Central).

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Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals Trends and Key Stats

• 1-4 is the record of Nationals in their last five road games. They have also gone 2-3 vs. the runline.
• Conversely, the Cubs have achieved a 2-3 (SU) record and 2-3 record in their last five home games.
• Over their last ten games when playing as the favorite, the Cubs have won 5-5 straight-up, and have a 5-5 record vs. the runline.
• Looking at the Nationals’ previous ten games as the underdog they are 3-7 straight-up and 4-6 vs. the runline.

Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals Prediction

Washington closed out their series vs. the Mets with a 10-0 loss. Heading into the game, the Nationals were the +146 underdog on the money line. Things really got away from the Nationals in the 4th inning, as the Mets scored nine runs in the inning. Washington’s offense scored their only three runs in the 2nd.

DJ Herz got the start for the Nationals and took the loss. He only lasted 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven earned runs. Offensively, the Nationals had only three fewer hits than the Mets but scored zero runs. CJ Abrams had two hits and scored a run.

Washington is 68-84 overall and trails the Phillies by 23 games in the NL East. The Nationals have dropped three straight games heading into today’s road matchup vs. the Cubs. So far, they are 23-26 against other NL East clubs.

At home, the Nationals are 36-39 this year compared to a 32-45 mark on the road. As the underdog, the Nationals are 53-71 this year, and they are 28-41 as the road underdog. Washington lost the final three games of their series vs. the Mets, and they are just 4-6 over their last 10 games. The Nationals’ series record is 19-24-6 this year.

The Nationals have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 84-68 overall. They have been a better bet on the road, going 44-33. They have been a good bet as the underdog, going 71-53. They have been a poor bet as the favorite, going 13-15.

Washington Nationals games have had a combined run average of 8.9 this season, and their over/under record is 72-74. When the over/under line is set at 8.5, their record is 19-23. Overall, 59 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8.5, which is 38.8% of their games. Their current over streak is at 2 games.

Left-hander Patrick Corbin 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 6-13 with a 5.46 ERA. Corbin’s WHIP for the season is 1.49. In his last outing, he gave up just one earned run in six innings of work, picking up the win. Before that, he had given up seven earned runs in back-to-back outings. Corbin has been much better at home this year, coming in with a 7.34 ERA on the road compared to 4.51 at home.

So far this season, the Nationals offense has been one of the worst home run hitting teams in the league and is also near the bottom of the league in terms of slugging percentage and isolated power. As a team, they are batting .242, which is 12th in the league, and are averaging 4.1 runs per game. This is also the 23rd best mark in the MLB.

CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. are the Nationals’ top home run hitters this season, but both are batting under .250. Abrams has 20 homers, while Garcia Jr. has 16. Garcia Jr. comes into the game with a batting average of .280 and has gone 7/34 in his last nine games. Abrams is on a four-game hitting streak, but he is just 2/9 in his last three games. Lane Thomas is also on a three-game hitting streak.

The Cubs will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Athletics with a 5-3 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 9th inning before the Athletics scored two runs in the top of the 9th. Chicago was the -180 favorite at home going into the game.

Justin Steele got the start for the Cubs and was excellent, going 2 2/3 innings, and didn’t give up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out three Athletics batters. However, the Cubs couldn’t close things out, and Nate Pearson took the loss out of the bullpen. The Cubs also wasted a big game from Nico Hoerner, who went 2/3 with a run scored.

Chicago is 77-75 overall and 3rd in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 11 games. The Cubs have dropped two straight games, and they are 21-28 against other teams in the NL Central. The Cubs will host the Nationals today, and they are 39-35 at home this year.

As the favorite, the Cubs are 40-37 this year and 37-38 as the underdog. Chicago’s overall series record is 21-25-3, and they have dropped two straight series. Looking back, the Cubs lost their most recent series vs. the Athletics.

Chicago is 74-78 against the run line this season, but they have been much better on the road, going 46-32. Their average run differential is +0.4 runs per game. As the favorite, they are just 25-52 against the run line, but as the underdog, they are 49-26.

When the Chicago Cubs play at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, and the Cubs have gone over that line in 17 of their 31 games. The Cubs’ games have had an average combined run total of 8.8 runs per game this season, and their overall over/under record is 72-75.

Chicago is sending Javier Assad to the mound today vs. the Nationals, and he has made 27 starts this season. Assad’s ERA for the season is 3.27, along with a record of 7-5. In his 27 starts, he has turned in six quality starts, and opponents are batting .242 off the right-hander this season. In his last outing, Assad finished with a no-decision, giving up four earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Against the Nationals on August 31st, he gave up two homers and three earned runs in six innings of work.

Chicago comes into today’s game averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 12th in the league. However, they have been even better on the road, scoring an average of 5.1 runs per contest. The Cubs have been a good home run hitting team this season but are just 24th in the league in home batting average at 4.0 runs per game.

Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki are tied for the team lead in home runs, with 20 apiece. Busch has gone 7/20 in his last six games, with three homers and eight RBIs. Nico Hoerner has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 11/24 in his last six games. Ian Happ is the Cubs’ top run producer this season, with 85 RBIs.

Our prediction for today’s Cubs vs. Nationals matchup is to take the over, with the line being set at 8.5 runs. We see the Cubs coming out on top with a final score of 5-4, giving us a little bit of wiggle room with the over/under line.

Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Javier Assad finishing with six strikeouts compared to Patrick Corbin with five. However, we have Assad going for a win, and Corbin finishing with the highest ERA among today’s starters.

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