| MATCHUP | Washington Nationals | Chicago Cubs |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Spread | +1.5 -108 | -1.5 -112 |
| Moneyline | +189 | -232 |
| Total | Over 8 (-108) | Under 8 (-112) |
| Where | Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois | |
| When | Thursday, March 26, 2026 | |
| Time | 02:20 PM EDT | |
| TV | MLB.TV | |
Washington Nationals Betting Preview
The Washington Nationals haven’t made the playoffs since they won the World Series in 2019 and with changes in the front office, that drought may last a little longer. The Nationals are still in rebuilding mode and they didn’t make enough changes to improve the roster. The good news is there’s a young foundation in place with guys such as James Wood, CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews, and eventually Harry Ford to get excited about. The bad news is that it doesn’t help the Nationals win games right now. There’s a serious talent gap between them and the rest of the NL East. The Nationals have finished last in the division in five of the last six seasons. Don’t be surprised if that’s the case once again.
Cade Cavalli gets the ball for the Washington Nationals, and he was 3-1 with a 4.25 ERA and 40 strikeouts last season. This will be Cavalli’s first career game against the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
The Chicago Cubs won 92 games last season and have a chance to make back-to-back playoff trips for the first time since 2018. The Cubs added Alex Bregman and Michael Conforto to the lineup, while the addition of Edward Cabrera gives Chicago possibly the deepest starting rotation in all of baseball. Matthew Boyd, Cabrera, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, and Jameson Taillon are all above-average starters. A trio of Bregman, Nico Hoerner, and Dansby Swanson is an elite defensive infield. There’s a lot to be excited about with the Cubs and you can argue they should be the favorites to win the NL Central. The concern is injuries, as Seiya Suzuki has a sprained knee and Justin Steele had elbow surgery. Not great to start the season with two key players out. Still, the Cubs will be fun this season and should win a lot.
Matthew Boyd gets the ball for the Chicago Cubs, and he was 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA and 154 strikeouts last season. Boyd is 1-2 with a 3.15 ERA and 13 strikeouts in his career against the Washington Nationals.
Why the Chicago Cubs will win
- The Nationals have lost each of their last eight Thursday road games.
- The home team has won 10 of the Cubs’ last 11 games.
- The Nationals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last six season openers against National League opponents.
- The Cubs have covered the run line in six of their last seven games as home favorites.
- The Nationals have trailed after 3 innings in nine of their last 10 Thursday games as road underdogs.
- The Nationals have trailed after 5 innings in six of their last seven games as road underdogs against NL Central opponents.
Why the Washington Nationals will win
- The underdogs have won three of the Nationals’ last four games.
- The Cubs have lost four of their last six games as favorites against NL East opponents.
- The underdogs have covered the run line in seven of the Nationals’ last eight games.
- The Cubs have failed to cover the run line in nine of their last 11 home games against NL East opponents.
Total Runs Facts
- Five of the Cubs’ last six home games have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Four of the Nationals’ last five road games have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Cubs’ last five games against National League opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in eight of the Nationals’ last 10 games at Wrigley Field.
Chicago Cubs Player Prop Facts
- Seiya Suzuki has hit a home run in four of the Cubs’ last six games as home favorites.
- Seiya Suzuki has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 14 appearances at Wrigley Field.
- Matthew Boyd has recorded a win in 12 of his last 16 appearances with the Cubs as home favorites.
- Ian Happ has recorded a Double in each of the Cubs’ last three games against NL East opponents.
Washington Nationals Player Prop Facts
- CJ Abrams has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 10 appearances with the Nationals as road underdogs against NL Central opponents.
- Luis Garcia has hit a home run in four of his last 10 road appearances with the Nationals against NL opponents.
Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction
The Nationals have some young pieces who will eventually blossom into something, but this team just doesn’t have the talent to compete with most teams night to night. There’s going to be a lot of losing here. The Cubs are one of those teams I’ll be watching closely, as they’re heading in the right direction and have a deep playoff run written on them if they can get their health in order. it’s game one of a marathon season, but there’s just a massive gap between these clubs. I have to side with the Cubs and I’ll lay the RL to shave down the price.