Chicago Cubs at Washington Nationals 7/30/21 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Friday MLB schedule will get underway with a matchup between the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals from the nation’s capital. The Cubs (50-54) have lost three straight games and dealt All-Star 1B Anthony Rizzo to the New York Yankees. On Thursday, Chicago C Wilson Contreras hit a two-run blast during a 7-4 home loss versus Cincinnati.

Twenty-nine year old Trevor Williams (4-2 5.06 ERA) will make his 13th start of the season for the Cubs. Last time out, Williams struck out six batters across six plus shutout frames during a 5-1 home victory versus Arizona.

The Washington Nationals are two games above .500 at home and have fallen 7.5 games behind NL East Division leading New York. On Thursday, Washington split a doubleheader in Philadelphia. In game one, All-Star SP Max Scherzer (8-4) allowed one run in six innings during a 3-1 road victory.

Washington manager Dave Martinez has yet to name a starting pitcher for the series opener. The Nationals currently rank 17th in the majors with a 4.35 team ERA and have logged 33 quality starts.