The Chicago Cubs (68-66) travel to face off against the Washington Nationals (61-73) on Friday, August 30th. This game will be played at Nationals Park in Washington and televised on MASN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. First pitch is set for 5:45 CT.

Cubs vs. Nationals Betting Prediction

• Money Line Prediction: Cubs (-170)
• Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs

• The Cubs have scored an average of 8.6 runs per game in their last 5 road games.
• The Cubs have won 7 of their last 10 games.
• The Cubs have a 3-game winning streak.
• The Cubs have a better away record (32-37) compared to the Nationals’ home record (32-34).
• The Cubs have scored 10 or more runs in 4 of their last 5 road games.

Cubs vs Nationals

The Cubs Are Coming Off A Win

The Cubs are coming off a big 14-10 win over the Pirates to close out their series. Chicago was the +143 underdog on the money line going into this matchup. Things really got away from the Cubs in the 2nd inning, as the Pirates scored five runs in the inning. However, the Cubs responded with a big 2nd inning of their own, scoring six runs. Chicago’s offense added another six runs in the 3rd inning.

Kyle Hendricks got the start for the Cubs and took the loss. He only lasted 1 2/3 innings, giving up six earned runs. Christian Bethancourt was the Cubs’ most effective reliever, going three innings and giving up just one earned run. The Cubs also had a big game from Pete Crow-Armstrong, going 4/4 with a run scored and seven RBIs.

Chicago enters today’s game with a 68-66 record, having won three straight games. They are 9.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central and have a 20-26 record against divisional opponents. The Cubs have won four straight series and have an overall series record of 19-21-3 this season.

On the run line, the Cubs have been profitable on the road, going 41-28 ATS. Their games have averaged 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 61-68. The over has hit in three consecutive games for the Cubs, heading into today’s matchup with the Nationals.

Shota Imanaga Gets The Start For The Cubs

Shota Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs today and comes in with a record of 10-3 and an ERA of 3.08. So far this season, he has made 24 starts, and opponents are batting .230 off the left-hander. Imanaga has pitched well on the road, going 6-1 with a 3.26 ERA. In his last outing, he gave up two earned runs in seven innings of work, picking up the win. Looking back across his last four starts, Imanaga has a record of 2-1 and has allowed three earned runs in each of his last two outings.

Cubs Offense Breakdown

Seiya Suzuki has been on fire for the Cubs of late, going 13/28 in his last six games with three homers and eight RBIs. For the season, Suzuki is batting .278 with 19 home runs, which is 2nd on the team. Ian Happ is the Cubs’ top power threat, as his 23 homers lead the team and is 14th in the league. Happ also leads the team with 74 RBIs.

As a team, the Cubs are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 15th in the league. Their team batting average is .239 (15th) and they are 17th in home runs. Overall, they have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.8 runs per game.

The Nationals Are Coming Off A Win

Heading into their last game vs. the Yankees, the Nationals closed out the series with a 5-2 win. Leading up to the game, they were the heavy favorite at +186. Offensively, the Nationals scored their five runs on json0 hits and only had one home run.

MacKenzie Gore put together a good start for the Nationals, going six innings and giving up just two runs on six hits. He only had one strikeout in the outing and got the win.

Washington has been a good team to bet on the run line this season, with a 76-58 record. Their games have had an average of 8.9 runs, and the over has hit in 68.7% of their games. However, they have gone under in six straight games. The Nationals are 32-34 at home and 29-39 on the road, and they are 18 games behind the Phillies in the NL East.

The Nationals have won two straight games and are the underdogs today against the Cubs. As underdogs, they have a 49-62 record straight up and a 65-46 ATS record. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 8 runs, and their O/U record in games with an 8-run total is 8-8-1.

Jake Irvin Gets The Start For The Nationals

Jake Irvin is looking to rebound from his last outing, where he finished with a no-decision. Against the Braves on August 24th, he went 5 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs, three walks, and one home run. Looking back further, he has made 27 starts and has a record of 9-10 this season. Irvin’s ERA is 3.80, and he has issued just 2.19 walks per nine innings compared to 7.48 strikeouts. For the year, he has allowed 25 home runs. Out of his 27 starts, Irvin has 14 quality starts.

Nationals Offense Breakdown

Washington’s offense is batting just .245 this season, but they have been good at avoiding strikeouts, and they are averaging 4.2 runs per game. This is 20th in the league and is the same number of runs they are averaging at home and on the road. The Nationals are near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team ISO of just .133.

Luis Garcia Jr. comes into the game with a team-high 63 RBIs, and he is also 2nd on the team with 15 home runs. CJ Abrams is the team’s leader in homers, but he is batting just .245 this season. Over his last six games, Jacob Young is hitting .450 with a home run and two RBIs. Juan Yepez is on a five-game hitting streak, and Lane Thomas has a three-game streak going.

Cubs vs Nationals Prediction

Our predicted final score for this Cubs and Nationals matchup is 5-4 in favor of the Cubs. However, we are actually recommending taking the over, as you can get this game at 8 runs, and we have the teams combining for nine runs.

Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Jake Irvin of the Nationals finishing with five strikeouts and Shota Imanaga of the Cubs with four. However, we have Irvin finishing with more earned runs, as he is projected to give up five compared to Imanaga at four.

Offensively, the Cubs lineup is predicted to finish with nine hits, which is the ninth most in the league today. As for the Nationals, they are projected to finish with nine hits, which is 21st.

Another reason we like the over is that the payout for a Cubs win is just -170, and we would rather take the over at -111.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.