Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 7/17/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Monday, July 17, 2023

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee

Odds/Point Spread: Washington (+105) Chicago (-125)

The Chicago Cubs (43-49) will take on the Washington Nationals (37-55) at Wrigley Field on Monday. The moneyline on this game has Washington at +105 and Chicago is at -125. The over/under comes in at 9. The pitchers who are expected to start will be MacKenzie Gore and Jameson Taillon.

As a unit, the Washington Nationals are notching 4.2 runs/g, which has them sitting at 22nd in MLB. They have accounted for 386 runs while holding a team OBP of .317. The Nationals have hit 162 two-baggers as a team and have hit 80 balls out of the park. They have compiled 366 runs batted in and 825 base knocks this season, and their team batting average comes in at .261. Washington has a slugging % of .399 and have struck out 650 times, while being walked on 228 occasions.

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They have a K/BB ratio of 1.98 and the pitching staff has recorded a WHIP of 1.48. Nationals pitchers have given up 129 home runs and 470 runs in total (27th in MLB). Washington has surrendered 857 hits (9.5 per 9 innings) and 434 earned runs. The Nationals have an earned run average of 4.81 over the course of the season (27th in the league), and the staff has rung up 684 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 345 opposing batters and their FIP comes in at 5.07 as a team for the year.

The Nationals relief pitchers have a save percentage of 55.8% and has come into the game in 87 save situations. The relievers have inherited 129 runners on the year and 31.8% of those players ended up scoring. Nationals relief pitchers have entered the game with opponents on base 81 times in addition to having 94 appearances in high leverage situations. The Nationals have dispatched 286 relief pitchers to the hill this year. The relief pitchers are sitting with 44 holds for the year (22nd in baseball). They have earned 24 saves on the season and have blown 19 out of their 43 chances to get a save.

The Washington Nationals have a tally of 2,437 putouts this season, in addition to 861 assists and 53 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .984 which puts them in 22nd in MLB, and have earned 89 double plays. The Nationals have transformed 68.2% of balls in play into outs out of their 7,311 innings on the field, which has them ranked 23rd in MLB.

Gore (8-11 career mark) sits with a FIP of 4.18 while he has gone up against 697 opposing batters during his time in the majors. He has conceded 158 base hits (8.9 hits per 9 innings) and has 76 walks. His ERA is 4.45 (79 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.466. Gore has taken the ball for 159 frames and has 180 K's so far in his career.

The Chicago Cubs have accounted for an OBP of .325 in addition to a batting average of .248 over the course of the season. They have been called out on strikes on 837 occasions (10th in MLB) and have recorded 763 base knocks. Chicago is sitting with 100 HRs so far this year and 408 runs batted in. The Cubs hold a slugging percentage of .399 and they earn 4.65 runs per game (12th in baseball). They have put up 136 doubles, while walking 326 times as well as putting up 423 runs.

The Cubs hold a team WHIP of 1.261 and are the owners of a FIP of 4.15 as a squad so far this year. Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 8.30 (742 strikeouts vs 284 bases on balls). They sit at 5th in the league as a staff in total hits allowed with 730. They have yielded 95 dingers and they yield 4.43 runs per 9 innings (15th in the league). The Chicago pitching staff have given up 396 runs so far this year while holding a team ERA of 4.04 (361 earned runs surrendered).

With 60 save situations, the Cubs have recorded 38 holds and also 8 blown saves. Chicago has had relievers step onto the hill in 21 save chances and they have converted 13 saves. Their relief pitchers have taken the field 67 times in high leverage situations and on 70 occasions with runners on base. Chicago relief pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 31.3% out of 115 inherited base runners. They rank 16th in MLB holding a save rate of 61.9%, and they have sent 276 relievers onto the diamond on the season.

The Chicago Cubs have turned 81 double plays and have accounted for a fielding rate of .986 (18th in the majors). The Cubs have 827 assists, 47 errors and have earned a total of 2,412 putouts this year. In their 7,236 innings played, the Cubs have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 70.1% (9th in baseball).

During his MLB career, Taillon has allowed 840 hits while earning 773 strikeouts in 859 innings pitched. Taillon (54-41 win-loss mark in his career) is the owner of a 4.03 earned run average and has given up 8.8 hits per 9 innings. He has conceded a total of 385 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.228 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.9. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.60 and he has gone up against 3,590 opposing hitters in his MLB career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Chicago (-125)

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