Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs 8/5/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Saturday, August 5, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Edwin Jackson vs. John Lackey

The Washington Nationals visit Wrigley Field on Saturday, August 5, 2017 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Edwin Jackson for the Nationals and John Lackey for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has Washington at -130 and Chicago at +110. The Nationals have a 52-50-4 over/under record and a 52-54-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 44-63-0 against the run line and have a 49-54-4 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 49-54-4 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 44-63-0 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

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 Edwin Jackson has a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 3.75 and a WHIP of 1.42. He has 14 strikeouts over his 24 innings pitched and he's given up 25 hits. He allows 9.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 6.9. 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 17th 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 3rd 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 57-50 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.87, John Lackey has a 8-9 record and a 1.33 WHIP. He has 99 strikeouts over the 114.2 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 116 hits. He allows 9.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.6. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.36 and they have given up 289 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .211 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 409 batters and walked 168 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.96. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 844 base knocks and 421 earned runs this season. They have given up 129 home runs this year, which ranks 21st in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 369 hitters and struck out 943 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.27 while their FIP as a staff is 4.23.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .246, good for 24th in the league. The Cubs hold a .433 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 .263 with an OBP of .392. He has 101 hits this year along with 70 RBI in 384 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .523 with an OPS+ of 136. Javier Baez is hitting .266 this season and he has an OBP of .307. He has collected 78 hits in 293 at bats while driving in 43 runs. He has an OPS+ of 101 and a slugging percentage of .481. The Cubs as a unit have 890 base hits, including 182 doubles and 152 homers. Chicago has walked 405 times this year and they have struck out on 907 occasions. They have had 749 men left on base and have an OPS of .763. They have scored 4.75 runs per game and totaled 508 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Nationals -130

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