Cubs vs. Nationals Prediction
Will the Chicago Cubs pick up another road win today when they take on the Washington Nationals tonight at 7:15PM ET?
957 Chicago Cubs vs. 958 Washington Nationals
Saturday, May 18, 2019
7:15PM ET – Nationals Park
Compare odds and from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new MLB Odds & Betting Page.
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers, the Nationals are favored at home today, as they are getting odds of -140 to win. The Cubs are getting a money line of +120 to win, while the over/under total has been set at 8.5 runs. The public betting for the contest currently has 67 percent going on the Cubs as the road underdog. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our MLB Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.
Cubs cruise in opener
Chicago opened the series on Friday with a 14-6 win at Washington. That put an end to the brief 2-game losing streak. The Cubs are 26-16 on the season, 11-10 on the road and 22-20 with the over. Jon Lester is getting the start for the Cubs tonight. He is 3-1 on the season with a 1.16 ERA.
The Cubs hit six home runs in Friday’s victory. Willson Contreras hit his 11th of the year and Kris Bryant matched him at 11 for the season after hitting three over the wall in the game. Bryant drove in five runs for the contest while Contreras finished with four hits. Cole Hamels got the win on the mound, his fourth of the season. He gave up just two runs over five innings.
Nationals get torched
With their ace on the mound, the Nationals suffered a surprising 14-6 loss to the Cubs on Friday, putting an end to their brief 2-game win streak. Washington is 18-26 on the season, 9-13 at home and 22-19 with the over. The Nationals have Stephen Strasburg on the mound tonight. He is 3-3 on the season with a 3.63 ERA.
Max Scherzer gave up three runs over six innings to take his fifth loss of the season, but it was the bullpen that absolutely got lit up. The pen gave up 11 runs over three innings. At the plate, Anthony Rendon hit his seventh home run and drove in two runs. Brian Dozier had three hits and drove in two runs.
MLB Betting Trends
Chicago
The Cubs are 8-2 in their last 10 road games against a right-handed starter and 6-1 in their last seven Game 2’s of a series.
Washington
The Nationals are 1-7 in their last eight after scoring five runs or more in their previous game and 3-9 in their last 12 games against a left-handed starter.
Prediction:
Strasburg has been pretty good on the mound and gets deep into games, but the Nationals have not given him run support for the most part. Lester has not given up an earned run in four of his last five starts. He has allowed just five earned runs over 38.2 innings this season. Lester has the ability to pitch well and the Cubs are far better at giving run support.
MLB Prediction: Chicago Cubs +120