Chicago Cubs at Washington Nationals MLB Betting Tips 5/19/2019

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Nationals Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Kyle Hendricks vs. Jeremy Hellickson

Willson Contreras and the Chicago Cubs (26-16, 1st in NL Central) go to Nationals Park on Sunday where they'll meet the Washington Nationals (18-26, 4th in NL East). The Nationals open this contest at +115 while the Cubs are coming in at -125. The O/U has been set at 9.5.

The Cubs have been awful for Las Vegas, having gone 26-16-0 SU. The Nationals cover 40.9% of the time, going 18-26-0 straight up. The Cubs have been a great option for wagerers as the favorite, going 21-8-0 SU. Washington has went 8-10-0 straight up as an underdog, so they cover 44.4% of the time.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Cubs have been a good Over option for over/under baseball bettors, having gone 22-20-0.

Chicago is covering 52.4% of the time as the away team, having gone 11-10-0 straight up.

Important Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Nationals cover 40.9% of the time at Nationals Park, going 9-13-0 SU.

The Nationals have been a good Over option for over/under baseball bettors, having gone 22-19-3.

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

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

05/18/19 CF Victor Robles Wrist is questionable Saturday vs Chicago Cubs
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)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs have a 26-16 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks has a 3-4 record with an earned run average of 2.86 and a WHIP of 1.15 this season. He has 41 strikeouts over his 50.1 innings pitched and he's given up 49 hits. He's allowed 8.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.12. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.04 and they have given up 125 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .234 against the bullpen and they've struck out 149 hitters and walked 85 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.52. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 334 base hits and 150 earned runs. They have allowed 45 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 169 batters and struck out 383. They have walked 4 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.04.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .257, good for 7th in the league. The Cubs hold a .455 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .347, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 5th in MLB with 8.9 hits per game. Willson Contreras is hitting .320 with an on-base percentage of .422. He has 41 hits this season in 128 at bats with 29 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .633 and an OPS+ of 174. Javier Baez is hitting .330 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .370. He has totaled 59 hits and he has driven in 30 men in 179 at bats. His OPS+ is 154 while his slugging percentage is at .615. The Cubs have 372 hits, including 76 doubles and 67 home runs. Chicago has walked 183 times so far this season and they have struck out 385 times as a unit. They have left 309 men on base and have a team OPS of .802. They score 5.48 runs per contest and have scored a total of 230 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Washington has a 18-26 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 6.00, Jeremy Hellickson has a 2-2 record and a 1.67 WHIP. He has 29 strikeouts over the 36 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 43 hits. He's allowing 10.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.81. The bullpen has an earned run average of 6.82 and they have given up 152 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .283 against the Nationals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 131 batters and walked 65 opposing hitters. As a team, Washington allows 9 hits per nine innings while striking out 10 batters per nine innings. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 4.96. The Nationals pitchers as a team have surrendered 389 base knocks and 214 earned runs this season. They have given up 54 home runs this year, which ranks 19th in Major League Baseball. Washington as a staff has walked 155 hitters and struck out 432 batters. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.40 while their FIP as a staff is 4.05.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .241, good for 19th in the league. The Nationals hold a .402 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314, which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 23rd in MLB with 8.2 hits per contest. Adam Eaton comes into this matchup batting .270 with an OBP of .337. He has 47 hits this year along with 11 RBI in 174 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .374 with an OPS+ of 87. Victor Robles is hitting .253 this season and he has an OBP of .304. He has collected 40 hits in 158 at bats while driving in 17 runs. He has an OPS+ of 97 and a slugging percentage of .462. The Nationals as a unit have 359 base hits, including 65 doubles and 56 homers. Washington has walked 140 times this year and they have struck out on 426 occasions. They have had 299 men left on base and have an OPS of .715. They have scored 4.45 runs per game and totaled 196 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs -125

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn