Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
Wednesday will feature a National League battle of East versus Central as the Washington Nationals (16-22) take on the Chicago Cubs (21-20). The Cubs will host this one at Wrigley Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 pm ET.
The Cubs have taken the first two games of the series, including a 6-3 win on Tuesday. In the win, David Bote and Ian Happ homered for Chicago, while Wilson Contreras went two for five with two runs batted in.
In the loss, former Cub Starlin Castro hit his second home run of the season. The top three batters in the Nationals’ lineup had a combined five hits but only scored one run between the three of them.
The Nationals are the favorites despite playing on the road. They are -152 to win while the Cubs’ moneyline sits at +128.
Pitching Matchup
Washington will send ace Max Scherzer (3-2, 2.10 ERA) to the mound on Wednesday. In his last outing, a 17-2 win over Arizona, Scherzer went five innings, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out seven.
The Cubs will counter with righty Jake Arrieta (4-3, 4.10 ERA). His last outing came in a win over the Detroit Tigers. He went six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, and struck out one.
By The Numbers
Offensively, the Cubs hold the advantage. They rank ninth in the majors averaging 4.60 runs per game. The Nationals fall to 25th averaging 3.92 runs.
Defensively, the Nationals hold the edge. They rank 15th overall, allowing opponents 4.27 runs per game. The Cubs rank 21st, allowing 4.55 runs per game.
Nationals Look To Get Back On Track
It has been quite a rough stretch for the Nationals as of late. They are 3-7 in their last ten games and are 7-12 overall when playing on the road. Given they sit in last in the N.L. East, five games out of first, they will look to turn it around starting Wednesday.
Leading the way offensively for Washington is Trea Turner. The shortstop is hitting .325/.367/.571 with ten home runs, 22 runs batted in, and 21 runs scored. Turner leads the team in all three of those categories.
Turner has also homered twice in his career against Arrieta, but it is Juan Soto who has had the most success. In 11 at bats against the righty, Soto is hitting .364 with two home runs and five runs batted in.
Cubs Look To Stay Hot At Home
At 21-20, the Cubs currently sit 2.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the N.L. Central. Luckily, they have been remarkable when playing at home; otherwise, it could be a lot worse.
On the season, Chicago is 6-12 on the road, but they are a whopping 15-8 when playing at Wrigley.
They will likely be without one of their stars on Wednesday. First baseman Anthony Rizzo was pulled from Tuesday’s game as he was dealing with back tightness. Expect that he will likely get the day off Wednesday.
Part of the reason for Chicago’s offensive success this season has been Kris Bryant. Playing in the final year of his contract, Bryant is hitting .309/.401/.626 with ten home runs, 26 runs batted in, and 31 runs scored.
Taking Scherzer And The Nationals
Sometimes when you are in the midst of a rough patch, you need your ace to be your stopper. On Wednesday, that is exactly what the Nationals will hope out of Max Scherzer.
Luckily, “Mad Max” has kept Cubs’ hitters relatively in check in their careers. The only player who has homered off of him has been Anthony Rizzo, who likely won’t play Wednesday.
Trying to break out of their slump, look for Scherzer to get the job done and the Nationals to come out victorious on the road. Take Washington at -152.
