At Nationals Park on Friday, the Chicago Cubs (68-66) open a three-game series against the Washington Nationals (61-73), at 6:45 p.m. ET.
The Nationals (+139 underdog moneyline odds to win) play at home against the Cubs (-166). The scheduled starters are Shota Imanaga (10-3) for the Chicago Cubs, and Jake Irvin (9-10) for the Washington Nationals.
The Cubs won 14-10 over the Pirates Wednesday in their last Game. Porter Hodge was named the winning pitcher after throwing two innings without giving up an earned run on one hit, while striking out three, while Christian Bethancourt finished 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and seven RBI to lead them offensively.
The Nationals knocked off the Yankees 5-2 Wednesday. Dylan Crews led the way offensively after going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI, and MacKenzie Gore got the win, throwing six innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits while striking out six.
Get ready for the Cubs vs. Nationals with what you need to know about Friday’s baseball action, including viewing options.
Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals odds and betting lines
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Friday at 3:16 a.m. ET. For a full list of Sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
- Favorite: Cubs (-166, bet $166 to win $100)
- Underdog: Nationals (+139, bet $100 to win $139)
- Over/under: 8
Cubs vs. Nationals: Live streaming info & game time
- Game Day: Friday, August 30, 2024
- Game Time: 6:45 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Nationals Park
- TV Channel: MASN
- Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)
Cubs stats and trends
Cubs betting records
- This season, the Cubs have won 32 out of the 62 games, or 51.6%, in which they’ve been favored.
- Chicago has a record of 15-2 in games when oddsmakers favor them by at least -166 on the moneyline.
- The implied probability of a win from the Cubs, based on the moneyline, is 62.4%.
- Chicago’s games have gone over the total in 61 of its 134 chances.
- The Cubs are 62-71-0 ATS in their 133 games with a spread this season.
Shota Imanaga (Cubs probable starter)
- Imanaga makes the start for the Cubs, his 25th of the season. He is 10-3 with a 3.08 ERA and 140 strikeouts through 140 1/3 innings pitched.
- His last time out came on Saturday against the Miami Marlins, when the left-hander threw seven innings, surrendering two earned runs while giving up four hits.
- In 24 games this season, the 30-year-old has amassed an ERA of 3.08, with 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are hitting .234 against him.
- Imanaga has 14 quality starts under his belt this season.
- Imanaga is looking for his 11th straight appearance lasting five or more innings. He averages 5.8 innings per appearance on the hill.
- He has had seven appearances this season in which he held his opponents to zero earned runs.
- He will face a Nationals offense that ranks 21st in the league with 565 runs while batting .245 as a unit. It has a collective .378 slugging percentage (23rd in MLB play) and has hit a total of 112 home runs (29th in MLB).
- This season, the 30-year-old ranks seventh in ERA (3.08), 11th in WHIP (1.062), and 23rd in K/9 (9.0) among qualifying pitchers.
Cubs batting stats
- The Cubs have hit 144 homers this season, which ranks 18th in the league.
- Fueled by 386 extra-base hits, Chicago ranks 17th in MLB with a .394 slugging percentage this season.
- The Cubs’ .239 batting average ranks 19th in the league this season.
- Chicago ranks 15th in the majors with 600 total runs scored this season.
- The Cubs have an OBP of .315 this season, which ranks 11th in MLB.
- Chicago ranks 17th in strikeouts per game (8.5) among MLB offenses.
Nationals stats and trends
Nationals betting records
- The Nationals have been underdogs in 110 games this season and have come away with the win 48 times (43.6%) in those contests.
- This year, Washington has won 21 of 56 games when listed as at least +139 or worse on the moneyline.
- The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Nationals have a 41.8% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.
- Contests with Washington has gone over the total set by bookmakers in 65 of 134 chances this season.
- The Nationals have an against the spread record of 75-58-0 in 133 games with a line this season.
Jake Irvin (Nationals probable starter)
- The Nationals are sending Irvin (9-10) to make his 28th start of the season as he goes for his 10th victory. He is 9-10 with a 3.80 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 156 1/3 innings pitched.
- In his most recent outing on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves, the righty threw 5 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs while surrendering five hits.
- In 27 games this season, the 27-year-old has put up an ERA of 3.80, with 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are batting .242 against him.
- Irvin has 14 quality starts under his belt this year.
- Irvin will try to extend an eight-game streak of lasting five or more innings (he’s averaging 5.8 innings per outing).
- He has had five appearances this season that he kept his opponents to zero earned runs.
- He meets a Cubs offense that ranks 15th in the league with 600 total runs scored while batting .239 as a unit. His opponent has a collective .394 slugging percentage (17th in MLB action) and has hit a total of 144 home runs (18th in the league).
- This season, the 27-year-old ranks 38th in ERA (3.80), 27th in WHIP (1.158), and 49th in K/9 (7.5) among pitchers who qualify.
Nationals batting stats
- The Nationals have hit 112 home runs this season, the second-lowest total in MLB action.
- So far this year, Washington’s .378 slugging percentage ranks 23rd in the majors.
- The Nationals have the 14th-ranked batting average in the majors (.245).
- The offense for Washington is the No. 21 offense in the majors, scoring 4.2 runs per game (565 total runs).
- The Nationals’ .312 on-base percentage is 14th in the majors.
