Chicago Cubs at Washington Nationals 8/1/21 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Sunday MLB schedule will get underway with a battle between the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals from the nation’s capital. The Cubs (51-55) have dropped 34 of their first 54 road games and just completed a fire sale at the trade deadline. Last night, OF Rafael Ortega homered and scored a pair of runs to spark Chicago to a 6-3 road victory against Washington.

Twenty-six year old righty Adbert Alzolay (4-11 4.73 ERA) will take the mound for the Cubs in this matchup. Last time out, Alzolay gave up four runs in five innings during a 7-4 home victory versus Cincinnati.

The Washington Nationals are two games above .500 at home and dealt away several key players at the trade deadline. On Saturday, Washington SP Joe Ross (5-9) gave up five runs (4 ER) in four plus innings and took the loss. All-Star OF Juan Soto doubled and scored a pair of runs in a losing effort for the Nationals, who fell to 48-56 on the season.

Washington manager Dave Martinez has yet to name a starting pitcher for the series finale. The Nationals currently rank 17th in the majors with a 4.38 team ERA and have logged 34 quality starts.