On Friday, the Washington Nationals (68-85) are visiting the Chicago Cubs (78-75), at 2:20 p.m. ET. The Nationals have lost four in a row.

The Cubs are favored at home (-171) against the Nationals (+144). The Chicago Cubs will hand the ball to Jameson Taillon (10-8, 3.54 ERA), who is looking for win No. 11 on the season, and the Nationals will counter with Trevor Williams (5-0, 2.22 ERA).

These teams meet again after the Cubs beat the Nationals 7-6 yesterday. Ethan Roberts registered the win for the Cubs (1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 K), and Seiya Suzuki led the way offensively (2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI). Robert Garcia (1.0 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 1 K) was credited with the loss for the Nationals.

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 9:16 a.m. ET. For a full list of Sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

  • Favorite: Cubs (-171, bet $171 to win $100)
  • Underdog: Nationals (+144, bet $100 to win $144)
  • Over/under: 9

Cubs vs. Nationals: Live streaming info & game time

  • Game Day: Friday, September 20, 2024
  • Game Time: 2:20 p.m. ET
  • Stadium: Wrigley Field
  • TV Channel: Marquee Sports Network
  • Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)

Cubs stats and trends

Cubs betting records

  • The Cubs have won 39, or 52.7%, of the 74 games they’ve played as favorites this season.
  • Chicago has entered 20 games this season favored by -171 or more and is 17-3 in those contests.
  • The oddsmakers’ moneyline implies a 63.1% chance of a victory for the Cubs.
  • Chicago’s games have gone over the total in 73 of its 153 chances.
  • The Cubs are 70-82-0 ATS in their 152 games with a spread this season.

Jameson Taillon (Cubs probable starter)

  • Taillon makes the start for the Cubs, his 27th of the season. He is 10-8 with a 3.54 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 152 1/3 innings pitched.
  • In his most recent appearance on Sunday, the right-hander tossed six innings against the Colorado Rockies, giving up two earned runs while surrendering five hits.
  • The 32-year-old has a 3.54 ERA and 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings across 26 games this season, while giving up a batting average of .251 to opposing hitters.
  • Taillon is trying to build upon a third-game quality start streak in this matchup.
  • Taillon will aim to pitch five or more innings for his ninth straight start. He’s averaging 5.9 frames per outing.
  • He has had three appearances this season in which he held his opponents to zero earned runs.
  • He will match up with a Nationals offense that is batting .243 as a unit (15th in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .376 (23rd in MLB) with 128 total home runs (29th in MLB).

Cubs batting stats

  • The Cubs have hit 163 homers this season, which ranks 19th in the league.
  • Fueled by 432 extra-base hits, Chicago ranks 16th in MLB with a .396 slugging percentage this season.
  • The Cubs rank 14th in MLB with a .244 team batting average.
  • Chicago has scored 705 runs (4.6 per game) this season, which ranks 12th in MLB.
  • The Cubs have an on-base percentage of .318 this season, which ranks ninth in the league.
  • Chicago ranks 16th in strikeouts per game (8.5) among MLB offenses.

Nationals stats and trends

Nationals betting records

  • The Nationals have been chosen as underdogs in 124 games this year and have walked away with the win 52 times (41.9%) in those games.
  • This season, Washington has been victorious 19 times in 48 chances when named as an underdog of at least +144 or worse on the moneyline.
  • The Nationals have an implied victory probability of 41% according to the moneyline set by sportsbooks for this matchup.
  • Washington and its opponents have gone over in 74 of its 153 games with a total set by sportsbooks this season.
  • The Nationals are 84-68-0 against the spread in their 152 games that had a posted line this season.

Trevor Williams (Nationals probable starter)

  • Williams (5-0 with a 2.22 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings pitched) gets the start for the Nationals, his 12th of the season.
  • His most recent time out came on Thursday, May 30 against the Atlanta Braves, when the right-hander went 5 2/3 innings, surrendering one earned run while allowing four hits.
  • The 32-year-old has an ERA of 2.22, with 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings in 11 games this season. Opposing hitters have a .221 batting average against him.
  • Williams has recorded one quality start this year.
  • Williams will try to secure his 11th outing of five or more innings pitched this season. He averages 5.1 innings per appearance.
  • He has had two appearances this season in which he did not give up an earned run.
  • The opposing Cubs offense has a collective .244 batting average, and is 14th in the league with 1256 total hits and 12th in MLB action with 705 runs scored. They have the 16th-ranked slugging percentage (.396) and are 19th in all of MLB with 163 home runs.

Nationals batting stats

  • The Nationals have hit 128 home runs this season, the second-lowest total in MLB action.
  • So far this season, Washington’s .376 slugging percentage ranks 23rd in the majors.
  • The Nationals rank 15th in MLB with a .243 batting average.
  • Washington scores the 23rd-most runs in baseball (632 total, 4.1 per game).
  • The Nationals are 17th in MLB with an on-base percentage of .309.
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