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The Washington Nationals take on the Chicago Cubs. Our MLB odds series has our Nationals Cubs prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Nationals Cubs.
The Chicago Cubs exist in a National League Central Division where no team has taken over and fully gained control. Yes, the Milwaukee Brewers have taken the lead due to their mastery of the Cincinnati Reds, but the Brewers' dominance of the Reds is matched against an overall record which isn't particularly impressive. The Brewers have dominated the Reds but played basically .500 ball against the rest of the majors. The Cubs and other National League Central teams have not needed to be great this season in order to top the Brewers. Merely being six to eight games above .500 right now would give Chicago or any other N.L. Central team a decent shot at winning the division. The Cubs, however, haven't been able to reach that very modest goal. The Cubs, who were 37-38 through 75 games in late June, had a real chance to be above the .500 mark before the All-Star break, giving themselves a real path to being five over .500 in late July. They were on a roll at the time, having won 11 of 13 games. Everything was clicking for this team, and it seemed that a postseason push was realistic.
Then the Cubs lost seven of their next eight games. They have been wildly inconsistent this season, and what we have seen from them in the first two games of this series against the Washington Nationals underscores that inconsistency. The Cubs lost the first game on Monday and trailed 3-1 early in the second game before they let loose for an offensive barrage and a 17-3 victory. Patrick Wisdom, who went on a home-run binge early in the season but had become conspicuously quiet for the past several weeks, returned to hitting dingers. This was the Cubs team which had a good month of April and looked like it might contend in the N.L. Central. Will the real Cubs please stand up? They need to play great baseball over the next 10 days if they want to be buyers, not sellers, at the trade deadline.
Here are the Nationals-Cubs MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Nationals-Cubs Odds
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-142)
Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+118)
Over: 9 (-122)
Under: 9 (+100)
How To Watch Nationals vs Cubs
TV: MASN (Nationals) / Marquee Sports (Cubs) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 8:05 p.m. ET/5:05 p.m. PT
*Watch Nationals-Cubs LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
The Cubs' Kyle Hendricks is an accomplished starting pitcher on a larger overall level, but in recent starts he has given up a lot of home-run balls. Hendricks is working through a rough patch in his season and is trying to figure out how to avoid the long ball, but it hasn't been easy of late. Hendricks, like the Cubs themselves, is searching for a higher baseline level of consistency. However, the Cubs have simply been far too erratic this year to be trusted in important moments such as this one. Chicago badly needs to win this series, but the Cubs have not earned any real trust heading into late July.
Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread
The Cubs needed to wake up at the plate the way they did on Tuesday with their 17-run explosion. Seeing Patrick Wisdom crush the baseball is precisely what Chicago needs if it wants to go on another big win spree the way it did in the middle of June. Chicago has momentum and can carry it into this game.
Final Nationals-Cubs Prediction & Pick
The Cubs should be the favorite, but in truth, you shouldn't trust either team in this game. Stay away and maybe consider a live-betting angle.
Final Nationals-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Cubs -1.5
