| MATCHUP | Washington Nationals | Chicago Cubs |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 1-0 | 0-1 |
| Spread | +1.5 100 | -1.5 -120 |
| Moneyline | +203 | -252 |
| Total | Over 8.5 (-118) | Under 8.5 (-102) |
| Where | Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois | |
| When | Saturday, March 28, 2026 | |
| Time | 02:20 PM EDT | |
| TV | ESPN Unlmtd | |
Washington Nationals Betting Preview
The Washington Nationals are 1-0 on the year and play the Phillies and Dodgers next. The Washington Nationals are batting .297 on the season and have a .350 OBP, and a .595 slugging percentage. The Washington Nationals pitching staff has a 3.00 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. Joey Wiemer leads the Washington Nationals with 3 hits and 1 RBI, while Brady House and Andres Chaparro have combined for 4 hits and 2 RBI.
Miles Mikolas gets the ball for the Washington Nationals, and he was 8-11 with a 4.84 ERA and 100 strikeouts last season. Mikolas is 6-8 with a 3.73 ERA and 96 strikeouts in his career against the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
The Chicago Cubs are 0-1 on the year and play the Angels and Guardians next. The Chicago Cubs are batting .235 on the season and have a .350 OBP, and a .294 slugging percentage. The Chicago Cubs pitching staff has an 8.00 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Michael Busch leads the Chicago Cubs with 3 hits and 1 RBI while Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ have combined for 3 hits and 2 RBI.
Cade Horton gets the ball for the Chicago Cubs, and he was 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA and 97 strikeouts last season. This will be Horton’s second career game against the Washington Nationals.
Why the Chicago Cubs will win
- The Cubs have won nine of their last 10 day games at Wrigley Field following a home loss.
- The Nationals have lost six of their last seven road games against the Cubs following a win.
- The Cubs have covered the run line in seven of their last eight games as home favorites against National League opponents following a home loss.
- The Nationals have failed to cover the run line in six of their last seven games following a win.
- The Nationals have trailed after 3 innings in four of their last five road games against NL Central opponents.
- The Nationals have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last three games against opponents that held a losing record.
Why the Washington Nationals will win
- The underdogs have won four of the Nationals’ last five games.
- The Cubs have lost seven of their last eight Saturday day games as home favorites against NL East opponents.
- The Nationals have covered the run line in each of their last nine Saturday road games against NL Central opponents.
- The Cubs have failed to cover the run line in 10 of their last 12 home games against NL East opponents.
Total Runs Facts
- Each of the Cubs’ last four games against NL East opponents has gone OVER the total runs line.
- Three of the Nationals’ last four games have gone OVER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in five of the Cubs’ last six games against National League opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in four of the Nationals’ last five games as underdogs against NL Central opponents.
Chicago Cubs Player Prop Facts
- Seiya Suzuki has hit a home run in four of his last six appearances with the Cubs as home favorites.
- Seiya Suzuki has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 14 appearances at Wrigley Field.
- Ian Happ has recorded at least one Double in each of his last four appearances in day games against NL East teams that held a winning record.
- Nico Hoerner ranked 8th amongst qualified players for Batting Average (.297) last season.
Washington Nationals Player Prop Facts
- Jacob Young has hit a home run in two of the Nationals’ last three games.
- Miles Mikolas has recorded four or more strikeouts in seven of his last eight appearances with his team as a road underdog against NL Central opponents.
- CJ Abrams has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 11 appearances with the Nationals as road underdogs against NL Central opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Cubs ranked T3rd in the league for steals last season (161).
- The Cubs ranked T4th in the league for triples last season (29).
- The Nationals ranked 29th in the league for hits allowed last season (1491).
- The Nationals ranked 29th in the league for runs allowed last season (899).
Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction
The Nationals dominate the first game and it makes the plus money attractive in this spot. However, the Cubs are simply the better team by a cofmrotble margin and I’d expect a better effort after having a couple of days to stew over that loss. Mikolas isn’t the same pitcher he was a few years ago and Horton was highly impressive as a rookie. Early start time: it would be a bad look for the Cubs to get off to an 0-2 start. I have to side with the Cubs and I’ll lay the PL to shave down the juice.