At 2:20 PM ET, the Nationals and Cubs will square off at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. The Cubs are the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -197, while the Nationals are +167 underdogs. The over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs.
Shota Imanaga will start for the Cubs, while the Nationals are going with Jake Irvin. Washington is 4th in the NL East, while the Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central. MARQ will be televising this one.
Washington vs. Chicago Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Nationals at Cubs
- Where: Wrigley Field Chicago
- Date: Sunday, September 22nd
- Betting Odds CHC -197 | WSH +167 O/U 7.5
Nationals vs Cubs Last Game Recap
Washington cruised to an easy 5-1 win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. The Nationals had a huge 6th inning, scoring four of their five runs. As for the Cubs, they scored their only run in the 7th. Heading into the game, the Nationals were at +117 on the money line.
MacKenzie Gore pitched well for the Nationals in this one, going seven innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with nine strikeouts but issued three walks. On the other side, Kyle Hendricks got the start for the Cubs, going just 5 1/3 innings and giving up four runs.
Joey Gallo and Juan Yepez each homered for the Nationals, while Jose Tena scored three times and drove in a run while going 3/4. Ildemaro Vargas and Luis Garcia Jr. each had two hits and an RBI.
Nationals Preview
Washington's overall series record is 19-24-6, and they are 4-6 in their last 10 games. As underdogs, the Nationals have a 54-73 record, but as favorites, they are 15-13. Their average run differential in wins is +3.3, while in losses, it's -3.8.
Against the run line, Washington is 46-34 on the road and 73-54 as underdogs. Their over/under record for the season is 73-76, and their O/U record in games with totals of 7.5 runs is 17-10. Today's O/U line of 7.5 runs is lower than their season average of 8.9 runs per game.
Jake Irvin gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces off against the Cubs on the road. This year, he has made 31 starts and has a record of 10-12. Irvin's ERA is 4.07, along with a WHIP of 1.17. In his 31 appearances, he has turned in 16 quality starts. Looking back at his last outing, Irvin finished with a no-decision after going 7 1/3 innings and giving up one earned run on five hits. He only issued one walk in that outing. Before that, he had lost three straight starts.
So far this season, the Nationals offense is averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 24th in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and team OPS. However, they do come into the game with a team batting average of .243, which is 11th in the MLB. Over his last four games, CJ Abrams has gone 7/14, and for the season, he is batting .246 with a team-high 20 home runs.
Luis Garcia Jr. is also having a solid season at the plate, as he is batting .281 and is 2nd on the team with 16 homers. As a team, the Nationals are 5th in the league in fewest strikeouts per game. Joey Gallo comes into the game on a three-game hitting streak, and he has two homers in his last four games.
Cubs Preview
Chicago is 79-76 overall and trails the Brewers by nine games in the NL Central. The Cubs are 21-28 against other teams in the division and have gone 4-6 across their last 10 games, dropping two straight series.
On the run line, the Cubs have been a much better bet on the road, going 46-32, compared to 29-48 at home. As underdogs, they have a strong 49-26 run line record. The over/under record for Cubs games this season is 73-77, with their games averaging 8.7 runs per game.
Shota Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs today vs. the Nationals and will look to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win. In that September 16th start vs. the Athletics, Imanaga went 6 innings, giving up 2 earned runs, and he finished with 11 strikeouts. Looking back over his last three outings, Imanaga has allowed a total of four home runs. For the season, he has a record of 14-3, an ERA of 3.03, and opponents are batting .221 vs. Imanaga this year. Overall, he has made 28 starts, 18 of which were quality starts.
For the season, the Cubs are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. At home, they are averaging just 4.0 runs per game, but on the road, they have been one of the best offenses in the league at 5.1 runs per contest. Chicago comes into the game with the 11th best team batting average in the league at .243.
Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ have been the Cubs' top power threats this season, with Suzuki's 21 homers being the 2nd most in the league, and Happ's 25 homers leading the MLB. Happ also has the most RBIs on the team at 85. Nico Hoerner has been a solid all-around hitter for the Cubs, batting .269 with an OBP of .334.
Nationals vs. Cubs Prediction: Over 7.5 Runs -112
Our prediction for this Cubs and Nationals matchup is that the Cubs will come out on top by a score of 5-4. However, with the Cubs being such heavy favorites on the money line at -197, we recommend taking the over at 7.5 runs. You can get the over at -112, and we see this game going over the line with a combined nine runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Shota Imanaga finishing with six strikeouts compared to Jake Irvin with five. We have Imanaga's chances of picking up a win as the best among all starters today.
