Nationals vs Cubs Prediction & MLB Odds For Thursday, September 19th
From Wrigley Field in Chicago, we have the Nationals and Cubs facing off in an NL matchup. The Nationals are 68-84 overall and they are 4th in the NL East, while the Cubs are 77-75 and they have Javier Assad on the mound. Chicago is 3rd in the NL Central.
Chicago is the heavy favorite for Thursday’s game, as their money line odds are at -180 compared to the Nationals at +150. The over/under line is sitting at 8.5 runs, and MASN will be televising this one.
Betting Odds & Lines for this Game
- Spread: Nationals 1.5 (-142) | Cubs -1.5 (+117)
- Total: 8.5
- MoneyLine: Nationals +150 | Cubs -180
All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)
Nationals vs. Cubs Prediction: Moneyline
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 3rd.
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, putting them 4th in the NL East, 23 games behind the Phillies for the division lead. The Nationals have dropped three straight games and were swept by the Mets in their most recent series. This year, they are 23-26 in divisional games.
At home, the Nationals are 36-39 and 32-45 on the road. Washington has dropped three straight games as the underdog, and their overall record as the underdog is 53-71 this year. As for their time as the favorite, the Nationals are 15-13.
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 three walks and struck out one. 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 is 11 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. The Cubs are also 11.0 games behind the Cardinals for the second Wild Card spot. The Cubs have dropped two straight games and are just 5-5 over their last 10.
At home, the Cubs are 39-35 this season and 38-40 on the road. This year, the Cubs are 40-37 as the favorite and 37-38 as the underdog. Chicago’s overall series record is 21-25-3, and they have dropped two straight series.
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 8.5 runs, which is lower than their season average of 9 runs per game. The Nationals have gone over the line in 19 of 42 games when the line is set at 8.5 runs. Their combined run average for the season is 8.9 runs per game, and their over/under record is 72-74.
So far this season, the Nationals offense is averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 23rd in the league. They have been pretty consistent, putting up the same number of runs per game at home and on the road. Washington is near the bottom of the league in home runs, and their team slugging percentage of .375 is 22nd in the MLB. As a team, they are batting .242.
Luis Garcia Jr. and CJ Abrams have been the Nationals’ top power threats this season, as they are 1st and 2nd in home runs, respectively. Garcia Jr. is batting .280 for the season and has gone deep 16 times. Abrams is hitting just .242 but also has 65 RBIs. In his last nine games, James Wood has gone 7/34 with two homers.
Today’s game between the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals features an over/under line of 8.5 runs. The Cubs have played to an over/under record of 72-75 this season, with an average combined run average of 8.8 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, they have a record of 17-14. Overall, 44 of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, accounting for 28.9% of their games this season.
Over the past six games, Nico Hoerner has been on fire for the Cubs, going 11/24 (.458) with four runs scored. Michael Busch has also been swinging a hot bat, going 7/20 with three homers and eight RBIs in this stretch. Busch and Seiya Suzuki are both tied for 2nd on the team with 20 homers, with Suzuki batting .278 for the season and Busch at .254.
Chicago’s offense is averaging 4.6 runs per game this season, and they have been even better on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .243 and have the 11th best on-base percentage in the league. The Cubs have been pretty good at avoiding strikeouts this season and are 6th in the league in walks.
Nationals vs. Cubs Prediction: Spread
Washington is 44-33 vs. the run line on the road this season, but they have failed to cover the run line in their last two road games. They are 13-15 vs. the run line as the favorite and 71-53 as the underdog. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.3, while it is -3.9 in losing games.
Left-hander Patrick Corbin gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Cubs on the road. This year, he has made 30 starts and has a record of 6-13 with an ERA of 5.46. Corbin’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.49. In his last outing, he went six innings and gave up just one earned run, coming away with the win. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight outings. Corbin has been much better on the road, coming in with a 7.34 ERA compared to 4.51 at home.
Chicago is 28-46 on the run line at home this season, and they have lost their last two games against the run line at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are 46-32 against the run line on the road this season, and they are 49-26 against the run line as the underdog. Chicago’s average run margin in winning games is 3.8, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.1.
Through 27 starts, Javier Assad has a record of 7-5 and an ERA of 3.27. He has made six quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he gave up four earned runs in six innings of work. In that outing vs. the Rockies, he gave up one home run. Before that, he had given up a home run in three straight starts. The right-hander has a walk rate of 3.86 per nine innings compared to 7.58 strikeouts. Per nine innings, Assad’s batting average allowed is .242.
Nationals vs. Cubs Pick: Over 8.5 Runs -107
Our prediction for the Cubs vs. Nationals game is to take the over, with the line sitting at 8.5 runs. We see the Cubs coming out on top with a final score of 5-4. However, with the Cubs being -180 on the money line, we see there being better value on the over.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Javier Assad is projected to finish with six strikeouts compared to Patrick Corbin with five. However, Corbin is projected to go eight innings, while Assad will finish with six. As for the Cubs and Nationals’ lineups, the Cubs are predicted to finish with nine hits compared to the Nationals with eight.
