Chicago Cubs at Washington Nationals MLB Betting Tips 5/18/2019

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Nationals Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jon Lester vs. Stephen Strasburg

Victor Robles and the Washington Nationals (18-25, 4th in NL East) play the Chicago Cubs (25-16, 1st in NL Central) at Nationals Park on Saturday, May 18, 2019. The odds on this matchup have the Cubs coming in at +127 and the Nationals are at -137. The total has been set at 8.

The Cubs have been a very good option for wagerers, having gone 25-16-0 SU. Washington is covering 41.9% of the time, going 18-25-0 straight up. The Nationals have been lousy for MLB bettors as favorites, going 10-15-0 SU. The Cubs are covering 33.3% of the time as an underdog, having gone 4-8-0 straight up.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Cubs have been a less than ideal Under pick for O/U baseball bettors, having gone 21-20-0.

The Cubs are covering 50.0% of the time as the away team, having gone 10-10-0 straight up.

Important Washington Nationals Betting Trends

Washington is covering 42.9% of the time at Nationals Park, going 9-12-0 SU.

The Nationals have been a less than ideal Under pick for O/U baseball bettors, having gone 21-19-3.

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

05/16/19 1B Anthony Rizzo Back is questionable Friday vs Washington Nationals
05/11/19 P Allen Webster Arm 10-day IL (05/11)
05/08/19 2B Ben Zobrist Personal is out indefinitely
05/08/19 P Pedro Strop Hamstring 10-day IL (05/07)
05/02/19 P Brandon Morrow Elbow 60-day IL (05/02)
03/25/19 P Kendall Graveman Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Tony Barnette Shoulder 60-day IL (03/25)

Key Washington Nationals Injuries

05/16/19 P Anibal Sanchez Hamstring 10-day IL (05/16)
05/10/19 LF Andrew Stevenson Back 10-day IL (05/07)
05/08/19 P Tony Sipp Oblique 10-day IL (05/07)
05/05/19 1B Matt Adams Shoulder 10-day IL (05/05)
04/28/19 1B Ryan Zimmerman Plantar Fasciitis 10-day IL (04/28)
04/27/19 P Koda Glover Elbow 60-day IL
04/26/19 P Trevor Rosenthal Infection 10-day IL (04/26)
04/20/19 P Austen Williams Undisclosed 10-day IL (04/20)
04/02/19 SS Trea Turner Finger 10-day IL (04/03)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs have a 25-16 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jon Lester has a 3-1 record with an earned run average of 1.16 and a WHIP of 1.11 this season. He has 39 strikeouts over his 38.2 innings pitched and he's given up 35 hits. He's allowed 8.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.72. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.90 and they have given up 119 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .229 against the bullpen and they've struck out 149 hitters and walked 83 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.46. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 321 base hits and 144 earned runs. They have allowed 44 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 164 batters and struck out 378. They have walked 3.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 4.00.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .252, good for 12th in the league. The Cubs hold a .442 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .342, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Javier Baez is hitting .326 with an on-base percentage of .360. He has 57 hits this season in 175 at bats with 29 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .611 and an OPS+ of 150. Willson Contreras is hitting .301 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .405. He has totaled 37 hits and he has driven in 27 men in 123 at bats. His OPS+ is 162 while his slugging percentage is at .602. The Cubs have 354 hits, including 75 doubles and 61 home runs. Chicago has walked 176 times so far this season and they have struck out 374 times as a unit. They have left 298 men on base and have a team OPS of .784. They score 5.27 runs per contest and have scored a total of 216 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Washington has a 18-25 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.63, Stephen Strasburg has a 3-3 record and a 1.05 WHIP. He has 75 strikeouts over the 57 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 44 hits. He's allowing 6.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.74. The bullpen has an earned run average of 6.20 and they have given up 140 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .271 against the Nationals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 128 batters and walked 62 opposing hitters. As a team, Washington allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 10 batters per nine innings. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 4.75. The Nationals pitchers as a team have surrendered 371 base knocks and 200 earned runs this season. They have given up 48 home runs this year, which ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. Washington as a staff has walked 148 hitters and struck out 421 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.37 while their FIP as a staff is 3.85.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .238, good for 22nd in the league. The Nationals hold a .399 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .310, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 23rd in MLB with 8.0 hits per contest. Victor Robles comes into this matchup batting .255 with an OBP of .302. He has 40 hits this year along with 17 RBI in 157 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .465 with an OPS+ of 98. Adam Eaton is hitting .273 this season and he has an OBP of .337. He has collected 47 hits in 172 at bats while driving in 11 runs. He has an OPS+ of 89 and a slugging percentage of .378. The Nationals as a unit have 346 base hits, including 62 doubles and 55 homers. Washington has walked 135 times this year and they have struck out on 421 occasions. They have had 288 men left on base and have an OPS of .709. They have scored 4.42 runs per game and totaled 190 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs +127

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