Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 3/29/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Sunday, March 29, 2026

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee

Odds/Point Spread: Washington (+125) Chicago (-150)

The Washington Nationals (66-96 last year) are hitting the road to Wrigley Field on Sunday where they will play the Chicago Cubs (92-70 last season). The odds on this game have the Nationals at +125 and the Cubs are opening at -150. The over/under is set at 8.5. The men taking the mound are Jake Irvin and Shota Imanaga.

Washington had a slugging rate of .390 and were called out on strikes 1,351 times, while drawing a walk on 443 occasions. They recorded 657 runs batted in in addition to 1,314 hits in the previous season, and their batting average came in at .242. The Nationals accrued 259 doubles as a unit and smacked 161 baseballs out of the park. They notched a total of 687 runs scored while holding a team OBP of .304. As a squad, the Washington Nationals notched 4.2 runs per contest, which was 20th in MLB.

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Their strikeout to walk ratio was at 2.20 and their pitching staff earned a collective WHIP of 1.45. Nationals pitchers relinquished 214 home runs and also 899 runs in total (29th in baseball). Washington surrendered 1,491 base hits (9.4 per 9 innings) in addition to 846 earned runs. The Nationals had an earned run average of 5.35 over the course of the prior season (29th in baseball), and their staff rung up 1,248 batters. Their pitching staff walked 566 opposing batters and their FIP was 4.72 as a unit last year.

Nationals relief pitchers entered the contest with players on base 167 times in addition to having 134 contests in high leverage situations. The bullpen tallied 76 holds in the prior season (25th in baseball). The Nationals relief pitchers accumulated a save percentage of 64.9% and stepped onto the hill in 134 save situations. They earned 37 saves during the previous year and blew 20 of their 57 save opportunities. The relievers inherited 277 runners during the previous year and 39.0% of those players crossed home plate. The Nationals sent 583 relievers to the mound last year.

The Washington Nationals finished with 4,270 putouts in the previous season, in addition to 1,404 assists and 94 errors. Their fielding percentage was previously at .984 which was 25th in professional baseball, and they turned 132 double plays. The Nationals turned 67.9% of balls in play into outs out of 12,810 innings on the diamond, which ranked them 29th in professional baseball.

Irvin has taken the mound for 488 frames and has accounted for 379 strikeouts in his MLB career. His earned run average is 4.94 (268 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.340. He has surrendered 486 hits (9.0 hits per nine innings) and has 168 walks. Irvin (22-34 career mark) is the owner of a FIP of 4.87 and he has gone up against 2,086 opposing batters in the major leagues.

Chicago was sitting with 223 home runs in the previous season to go along with 771 RBIs. They tallied 267 doubles, while getting a free base 554 times and scoring 793 runs. The Chicago Cubs tallied a team on-base percentage of .320 as well as a team batting average of .249 last year. The Cubs had a team slugging % of .430 and they averaged 4.90 runs per game (5th in MLB). They struck out on 1,277 occasions (25th in MLB) and had a total of 1,371 base knocks.

The Cubs had a team WHIP of 1.177 and had a FIP of 4.16 as a staff in the prior season. They had a K/BB ratio of 7.90 (1,265 strikeouts vs 405 bases on balls). They were ranked 10th in the league as a staff in total hits given up with 1,284. They gave up 202 homers and they relinquished 4.07 runs per 9 innings (8th in the league). The Chicago pitching staff allowed 649 runs in the prior season while having an ERA of 3.79 (605 earned runs surrendered).

Chicago relievers held an inherited score percentage of 33.8% out of their 142 inherited runners. Their relief pitchers stepped onto the mound 158 times in high leverage situations and on 101 occasions with runners on base. With 177 save situations, the Cubs accumulated 110 holds and 20 blown saves. They were ranked 4th in MLB holding a save percentage of 68.8%, and they dispatched 523 bullpen pitchers onto the diamond last year. Chicago had bullpen pitchers step onto the mound in 64 save chances and they came away with 44 saves.

The Chicago Cubs had 117 double plays and notched a fielding percentage of .989 (4th in MLB). The Cubs accrued 1,342 assists, 61 errors and accumulated 4,305 putouts last year. Out of their 12,915 innings played, the Cubs had a defensive efficiency of 71.9% (2nd in professional baseball).

Imanaga (24-11 career win-loss record) has a 3.29 ERA and has allowed 7.5 hits per nine innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 5.39 and he has faced 1,261 batters during his pro baseball career. He has conceded 116 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.009 and having a FIP of 3.2. So far in his pro baseball career, Imanaga has surrendered 266 base hits while he has totaled 291 punch outs in 317 innings pitched.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Washington (+125)

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