Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs 8/4/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, August 4, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Tanner Roark vs. Kyle Hendricks

The Washington Nationals visit Wrigley Field on Friday, August 4, 2017 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Tanner Roark for the Nationals and Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has Washington at +142 and Chicago at -152. The Nationals have a 52-50-4 over/under record and a 52-54-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 44-62-0 against the run line and have a 48-54-4 over/under record.

Valuable Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 52-50-4 against the over/under

The Washington Nationals are 52-54-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 48-54-4 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 44-62-0 against the run line

Key Washington Nationals Injuries

08/01/17 P Max Scherzer Neck left last game, "?" next start
07/29/17 2B Stephen Drew Abdominal 10-day DL (07/29)
07/26/17 P Stephen Strasburg Forearm 10-day DL (07/26)
07/26/17 LF Ryan Raburn Trapezius 10-day DL (07/22)
07/23/17 LF Chris Heisey Groin 10-day DL (07/23)
07/17/17 P Joe Ross Tricep 60-day DL (07/14)
07/17/17 P Koda Glover Back 60-day DL (06/11)
07/07/17 CF Michael Taylor Oblique 10-day DL (07/07)
06/29/17 SS Trea Turner Wrist 10-day DL (06/30)
06/19/17 P Shawn Kelley Trapezius 10-day DL (06/17)
06/06/17 LF Jayson Werth Foot 60-day DL (06/04)
06/02/17 CF Adam Eaton ACL 60-day DL (04/29)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

08/03/17 SS Addison Russell Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Thursday vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
08/03/17 2B Ben Zobrist Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Thursday vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
06/09/17 P Brett Anderson Back 60-day DL (05/07)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Nationals have a 63-43 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Tanner Roark has a 8-7 record with an earned run average of 4.93 and a WHIP of 1.40. He has 104 strikeouts over his 118.2 innings pitched and he's given up 122 hits. He allows 9.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.14. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.15 and they have given up 326 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .269 against the bullpen and they've struck out 291 hitters and walked 113 batters. As a team, Washington allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.2 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 4.11. The Nationals pitchers collectively have given up 876 base hits and 433 earned runs. They have allowed 133 home runs this season, ranking them 15th in the league. Washington as a pitching staff has walked 331 batters and struck out 964. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit is 4.09.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Washington is hitting .275, good for 2nd in the league. The Nationals hold a .472 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .339, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.6 hits per game. Ryan Zimmerman is hitting .309 with an on-base percentage of .351. He has 111 hits this season in 359 at bats with 76 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .577 and an OPS+ of 134. Bryce Harper is hitting .324 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .424. He has totaled 121 hits and he has driven in 80 men in 373 at bats. His OPS+ is 165 while his slugging percentage is at .617. The Nationals have 1018 hits, including 217 doubles and 160 home runs. Washington has walked 363 times so far this season and they have struck out 840 times as a unit. They have left 736 men on base and have a team OPS of .811. They score 5.48 runs per contest and have scored a total of 581 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 57-49 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.80, Kyle Hendricks has a 4-3 record and a 1.24 WHIP. He has 59 strikeouts over the 71 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 67 hits. He allows 8.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.1. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.30 and they have given up 282 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .209 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 402 batters and walked 166 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.9. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 831 base knocks and 411 earned runs this season. They have given up 124 home runs this year, which ranks 21st in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 366 hitters and struck out 930 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.26 while their FIP as a staff is 4.18.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .245, good for 25th in the league. The Cubs hold a .432 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 25th in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .260 with an OBP of .388. He has 99 hits this year along with 70 RBI in 381 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .522 with an OPS+ of 135. Javier Baez is hitting .262 this season and he has an OBP of .301. He has collected 76 hits in 290 at bats while driving in 43 runs. He has an OPS+ of 98 and a slugging percentage of .472. The Cubs as a unit have 879 base hits, including 181 doubles and 150 homers. Chicago has walked 399 times this year and they have struck out on 892 occasions. They have had 741 men left on base and have an OPS of .761. They have scored 4.72 runs per game and totaled 500 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Nationals/Cubs MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Nationals +142

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