Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals MLB Odds, Betting Preview 9/13/18

The National League Central grapples with the National League East this afternoon as the Chicago Cubs take on the Washington Nationals. This is a makeup game and will take place at Nationals Park with a start time of 4:05 PM ET. These teams have split the six games against each other this year.  

Lines:  Chicago -127… Washington +117… Over/Under 9.5

Pitching Matchup

Taking the hill for the Cubs will be Mike Montgomery and he has gone 4-5 with a 3.85 ERA in 34 games (15 starts) on the year, including 2-4 with a 3.43 ERA in 20 games (nine starts) on the road. Montgomery is 4-4 with a 3.43 ERA in his 15 starts. In his career, he has gone 11-14 with a 3.44 ERA in 72 games (28 starts) on the road and 2-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 16 games (eight starts) during Sept/ Oct, plus 8-10 with a 3.45 ERA in 56 games (21 starts) in the daytime. This will be his first start against the Nationals.

Getting the nod for the Nationals will be Joe Ross and he will be making his first appearance of the year. He is off Tommy John surgery. In his career, he has gone 11-5 with a 3.65 ERA in 26 games (24 starts) here at Nationals Park and 0-1 with a 4.58 ERA in eight games (five starts) during Sept/ Oct, plus 6-8 with a 4.36 ERA in 22 games (20 starts) in the daytime. Against the Cubs in his career, he has gone 0-2 with a 3.44 ERA in three starts.

A Look At The Cubs

The Chicago Cubs come in struggling a bit. They come in having lost two of three against the Brewers at home and are now just 3-6 in their last 9 games. They need to get back on track as their lead in the National League Central is down to just one game over the Brewers. Their offense has been a bit of an issue of late as they have averaged just 2.80 rpg over their last 5 games. The pitching has also been an issue as they have allowed 5.38 rpg over their last eight games. If they get into the postseason, they may not be going in with much momentum.

On Wednesday night, they lost to the Brewers at home by a score of 5-1. The offense struggled as they had just six total hits while striking out 10 times. Kris Bryant drove in their lone run in the game. Kyle Hendricks has been very average this year, but he has been pitching better of late. He allowed just two ERs on five hits in 5.0 innings of work, but took the loss and is now at 11-11 with a 3.71 ERA on the year. He is also 2-2 with a 1.80 ERA in his last five starts. The Cubs have gone 39-35 on the road and they have averaged 4.59 rpg and have allowed 3.62 rpg in those games.

A Look At The Nationals

It’s a little bit too late, but the Nationals are playing well at the moment. They come in off a three-game road sweep of the Phillies and have now won their last 5 games in a row. It’s the first time since late may that they have won more than three games in a row. Despite that, the Nats are still at 8.0 games out of first in the NL East and 7.0 games out a wild card slot. They really don’t have a chance of stealing a playoff spot, so they are just looking to build some momentum. On the plus side, they have to be happy that they probably knocked the Phillies out of the playoff race.

The Nats also probably also may have made it hard for Aaron Nola to win the Cy Young after beating him 5-1 on Wednesday evening.  Bryce Harper (33), Juan Soto (19), Ryan Zimmerman (13) each homered in the game, while Harper and Zimmerman each had two RBIs. Stephen Strasburg always pitched well against the Phillies and is now 12-2 with a 2.44 ERA in 24 starts against them. He allowed one ER on five hits and no walks while striking out 9 in 7.0 innings of work. Strasburg is now 8-7 with a 3.87 ERa on the year. The Nationals have gone 37-36 here at home and they have averaged 4.97 rpg and have allowed 4.55 rpg in those games.

Trends

The Cubs are:

12-4 in their last 16 games vs. a right-handed starter.

19-8 in their last 27 vs. the National League East

3-7 in Montgomery’s last 10 starts vs. a team with a winning record.

The Under is 23-9 in Cubs last 32 during game 1 of a series

The Nationals are:

5-2 in their last 7 home games vs. a left-handed starter

16-5 in Ross’ last 21 home starts

1-4 in their last 5 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30

The Over is 20-8-1 in their last 29 home games