Washington Nationals vs. Chicago Cubs Preview
Where: Wrigley Field – Chicago, IL
When: Friday, August 4, 2017 – 2:20 PM ET
Line: Washington Nationals (+135) at Chicago Cubs (-150) – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: MASN / WGN / MLBN
Betting on the Washington Nationals (63-43)
The Nationals will be returning from a much-needed rest, as they are now losers in four of their last six after Wednesday’s 7-0, shutout loss to the Miami Marlins. It was also the third-straight time they allowed seven or more runs in a defeat.
We could see more of the same tomorrow, as projected starter Tanner Roark is having the worst season of his career. The 30-year-old is lucky to have an 8-7 card since he’s only tallying a 4.93 ERA in 21 appearances on the year. Allthough he just showcased a great outing last July 22nd in Arizona, where he struck out 11 batters, it’s definitely not good that the Nats have lost in six of his last eight starts.
With that, the offense should be extra focused on doing more, which shouldn’t be that concerning considering they are arguably the best batting group in the entire league. Two key trends are intriguing too – Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner are both batting a .429 in the season series with the Cubs, while Brian Goodwin, Wilmer Difo, and Howie Kendrick are collectively hitting at .351 in the past week, with five home runs and nine RBIs.
Betting on the Chicago Cubs (57-50)
After a big stretch which saw them win 13 of 16 games, the Cubs have now dropped two-straight, both to the Arizona Diamondbacks. They were pretty competitive last night, but they just couldn’t stop Paul Goldschmidt’s onslaught, as he punished them for three homers and six RBIs.
Projected starter Kyle Hendricks is stepping up next to help snap the skid, although it’s hard to gauge where the 27-year-old is currently at with his rhythm. He’s 4-3 with a satisfactory 3.80 ERA in 13 starts this season, and although he has only given up two runs in his last 9.1 innings, he has also collected 14 hits. Additionally, the Cubs are an unpredictable 5-5 in his last 10 starts.
Finally, in yet another confusing stat, the Nationals are only batting a .217 against him all-time (15-for-69).
As for the offense, Willson Contreras should be the most intriguing aside from Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, etc. The second-year catcher is coming off a two-homer, six-RBI game, and he’s also 4-for-12 with a pair of home runs in four meetings against the Nationals this season.
The Cubs and Nats are tied in the season series, 2-2.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cubs (-133) win it, 8-6.
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