Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals Prediction, Pick and Preview, August 8 (8/8): MLB

Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals Prediction, Pick and Preview, August 8 (8/8): MLB

Credit: photo by  Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

 

Odds

Time 8:05 p.m. EST
Nationals money line +156
Nationals run line +1.5 (-140)
Cubs money line -190
Cubs run line -1.5 (+120)
Over / under 7.5

 

Key stats

  Washington Nationals  Chicago Cubs
Record 36-74 43-64
Road / home record 19-34 22-33
Last 10 record 2-8 3-7
Streak L5 L1
Over / under record 54-49-7 45-55-7
Runs / game 3.83 4.14
Runs allowed / game 5.51 4.87

 

Preview

The Chicago Cubs will host the Washington Nationals to play a 3-game series at the Wrigley Field. The Nationals took the sweep against the Phillies in their weekend series while the Cubs beat the Marlins 2 of 3 times.

Washington Nationals

The Nationals get here with a 36-69 record and have lost 4 of their last 6 games. The team is averaging 3.83 runs per game. They're batting for .247 AVG, 418 runs scored in 907 hits and 86 home runs, ranking #27 in offense in the league, behind the Kansas City Royals. Luke Voit has a batting average of .235, 14 home runs and 50 RBI. 

Defensively they are allowing 5.51 runs per game and ranking #30, the worst in the league. Josiah Gray leads the team with a 4.92 ERA, 122 strikeouts and 7 wins recorded for the Nationals.

Probable Pitcher:  Anibal Sanchez (0-4, 7.65 ERA)

Sanchez will be on the mound in the 1st game of the series for Washington. Sanchez took the loss against the Mets on Wednesday, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits while striking out two and walking three over 4.1 innings. He has a 5-2 record with an ERA of 2.94 and 51 strikeouts in 9 appearances against the Cubs in his career.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs get here with a 41-59 record and have won 7 of their last 10 games. The team is averaging 4.14 runs per game. They're batting for .241 AVG, 439 runs scored in 870 hits and 104 home runs, ranking #21 in offense in the league behind the Baltimore Orioles. Patrick Wisdom is leading the team with 20 home runs and 52 RBI while Nico Hoerner has the better batting average with .295.

Defensively they are allowing 4.87 runs per game and rank #25 in the league. Keegan Thompson leads the pitching staff with a 3.48 ERA, 83 strikeouts and 8 wins recorded for the Cubs.

Probable Pitcher:  Keegan Thompson (8-5, 3.48 ERA)

Thompson will be on the mound in the 1st game of the series for the Cubs. Thompson allowed five runs on 10 hits across 4.2 innings to take the loss Tuesday against the Cardinals. He walked two and struck out one. He has not allowed any runs on 1 hit with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts in 1.1 innings versus the Nationals in his career. He has been credited with the win.

BETTING TRENDS

Washington are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games against an opponent in the National League.

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games against an opponent in the National League Central Division division.

The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games at home.

The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Chi Cubs' last 13 games against an opponent in the National League.

Prediction

The Nationals are the worst team in the league right now and are allowing the most runs in the league. Anibal Sanchez will be the starter for this game who has been pounded in all of his 4 starts this season losing all of them as well. The Cubs have struggled offensively as they have scored only 2.1 runs per game in the last 10. Thompson will take the mound who was pounded in his start against the Cardinals but dominated the Nationals last season. It's hard to trust in any of these teams and with the Cubs struggling offensively I think the best play is the under.

PICK: Under 7.5 (-110)

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