Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals: A battle for the top of the NL East

The Chicago Cubs are visiting the Washington Nationals in the series opener at Nationals Park on Friday.

The Cubs are playing their best baseball of the season

The Chicago Cubs are second in the NL Central with a 68-66 record, including 32-37 on the road. They have won the last three games and are coming off a series sweep against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs have a 3.81 ERA, a .237 batting average, a .304 on-base percentage, and 1.25 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Nico Hoerner leads the team with 123 hits, Ian Happ is on top with 76 runs, and 23 home runs.

The Nats are solid at home

The Washington Nationals are fourth in the NL East with a 61-73 record, including 32-34 at home. They have won 3 of the last 4 games and are coming off back-to-back wins over the New York Yankees. Washington has a 4.24 ERA, a .257 batting average, a .319 on-base percentage, and 1.33 walks plus hits per inning pitched. CJ Abrams is the best player on the team, with 119 hits, 73 runs, and 18 home runs for the season.

Betting Trends

The Nationals are 4-8 SU in their last 12 games against teams from the NL and 7-2 SU in their last 9 games against teams from the NL Central. Washington has played under the total run line in their last 6 games overall, in 5 of their last 6 home games and their last 5 games against the Cubs. Chicago is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games overall, 2-4 SU in their last 6 games against the Nationals, and 9-2 SU in their last 11 games against teams from the NL. The Cubs have played over the total run line in 7 of their last 8 games overall and 5 of their last 6 games on the road.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Chicago Cubs are still not giving up on their playoff hopes, even though they have less than 4% to get there. They swept the Pirates in the previous series, and the last win was especially impressive. The Cubs found themselves 10-3 down and then turned things around in the last three innings to win 14-10. They will try to keep the winning streak alive with Shota Imanaga, who is 10-3 for the season with a 3.08 ERA, 140 K, and 140.1 IP. The Nationals are also on a good run and hope to win their third straight game with Jake Irvin, who is 9-10 for the season with a 3.80 ERA, 130 K, and 156.1 IP. Looking at their previous head-to-head games, the last five have ended under, so we believe that trend will continue tonight as the total run line is set at 8.