Nationals vs Cubs Prediction & MLB Odds For Friday, September 20th

From Wrigley Field in Chicago, we have the Nationals and Cubs facing off in an NL matchup. This one gets started at 2:20 PM ET, and MARQ will be televising it. The money line odds have the Cubs at -173 compared to the Nationals at +146. The over/under line is at 9 runs.

Washington comes in with a record of 68-85 and they are 4th in the NL East. The Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central with an overall record of 78-75. Chicago will send Jameson Taillon to the mound vs. a Nationals team that has Trevor Williams starting.

Betting Odds & Lines for this Game

• Spread: Nationals 1.5 (-142) | Cubs -1.5 (+117)
• Total: 9
• MoneyLine: Nationals +146 | Cubs -173

All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)

Nationals vs. Cubs Prediction: Moneyline

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 two of their seven runs and picking up six of their twelve hits. 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. Patrick Corbin only went 4 1/3 innings for the Nationals, giving up five runs on eight hits.

At the plate, Joey Gallo and Seiya Suzuki each homered for their respective teams. Gallo, CJ Abrams, and Darren Baker each had three RBIs for Washington’s offense.

With an overall record of 68-85, the Nationals are 23 games behind the Phillies in the NL East and trail the Braves by 8 games for the 3rd spot in the division. Washington has dropped four straight games, and they lost the series opener vs. the Cubs. So far, they have gone 19-24-6 in series this year.

At home, the Nationals are 36-39 this year, and they are 32-46 on the road. As the underdog, the Nationals are 53-72 this year, and they are 28-42 as the road underdog. This season, the Nationals have gone 15-13 as the favorite.

With their record of 78-75, the Cubs are 10 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. Chicago is 21-28 against other teams in the division. The Cubs are at home today, where they are 40-35 this year.

Chicago has dropped two straight series and their overall series record is 21-25-3. As the favorite, the Cubs are 41-37 this year and 37-38 as the underdog. Their overall record at home as the favorite is 26-25.

Nationals vs. Cubs Prediction: Over/Under

The Washington Nationals are on the road against the Chicago Cubs today. The over/under line for the game is set at 9 runs, which is right around the combined run average for Nationals games this season. Washington’s over/under record for the season is 73-74, and their over/under record when the line is set at 9 runs is 14-19-4. Their games have had an average over/under line of 9 runs, and 61.4% of their games have had lower lines than that. The over has hit in three straight Nationals games.

Washington’s offense comes into today’s game averaging just 4.1 runs per game, which is 23rd in the MLB. They have been a bit better on the road, but their home and road scoring averages are nearly identical. As a team, they are batting .243, which is 12th in the league, and are one of the top teams in terms of avoiding strikeouts. However, they are near the bottom of the league in home runs and walks. So far, they have been one of the worst teams in terms of isolated power.

CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. have been the Nationals’ top power threats this season, as Abrams leads the team with 20 homers, and Garcia is right behind him with 16. Both players are also tied for the team lead in RBIs. Abrams is currently on a five-game hitting streak and has gone 7/11 in his last three games.

Chicago Cubs games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 73-75. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, but when the line is set at 9 runs, their over/under record is 7-12-3. In games with over/under lines set at 9 runs, the over has hit in 22 games this season, accounting for 14.4% of their games. Their current over streak is at 2 games.

Seiya Suzuki has been a great addition to the Cubs lineup this season, as he is batting .280 with 21 homers, which is 2nd on the team. Suzuki is also on a 10-game hitting streak. Ian Happ has been the Cubs’ top power threat this season, as his 25 homers are the most on the team. He also leads the team with 85 RBIs. Nico Hoerner has been a solid contributor this season, hitting .270 with 5 homers and 43 RBIs.

As a team, the Cubs are 12th in the league in scoring at 4.6 runs per game. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. Chicago comes into the game with the league’s 11th best batting average at .244.

Nationals vs. Cubs Prediction: Spread

Washington is 45-33 vs. the run line on the road this season, and their average run margin in those games is -0.8. They are 72-53 vs. the run line as the underdog, and their average run margin in those games is -0.7. Their average run margin in all games this season is -0.7.

Washington is sending right-hander Trevor Williams to the mound today vs. the Cubs. He has made 11 starts this season and has a record of 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA. Williams’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.08. In his 11 appearances, he has turned in just one quality start. Williams most recently pitched on May 30th vs. the Braves, where he picked up the win, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up one earned run. He has finished with a no-decision in each of his last three outings.

Chicago has been a strong run line bet on the road this season, going 46-32, but they have been a poor bet at home, going 28-47. The Cubs have been a better run line bet as an underdog, going 49-26, compared to 25-53 as a favorite. The Cubs have a run differential of +0.4 runs per game this season, with an average run differential of +0.5 runs per game at home and +0.3 runs per game on the road. In their wins, the Cubs have an average run differential of +3.8 runs per game, compared to -3.1 runs per game in their losses.

Right-hander Jameson Taillon gets the start for the Cubs today and will be facing the Nationals at home. He has made 26 starts this season and has a record of 10-8 with a 3.54 ERA. Taillon’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.16, and he has turned in 14 quality starts. In his last outing, Taillon finished with a no-decision, giving up two earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had gone six straight starts without taking a loss. Taillon’s ERA at home is 2.80 compared to 4.86 on the road.

Nationals vs. Cubs Pick: Nationals ML +146

The best way to play this Nationals vs. Cubs matchup is to take the Nationals on the money line, with a payout of +146. Our predicted final score is 6-5 in favor of the Nationals, giving us some good value with the Nationals to win outright.

Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Jameson Taillon finishing with just five strikeouts, which is ninth worst among all starters today. As for Trevor Williams, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts, which is 17th among all starters.