Chicago Cubs at Washington Nationals 8/16/22 - MLB Picks & Predictions

Two teams going nowhere fast will square off on Tuesday night, when the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals continue their series from the nation’s capital. The Cubs have dropped consecutive games and are 16 games off the pace in the NL Central Division race. Last night, Chicago went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and struck out 14 times during a 5-4 road loss.

Twenty-seven year old southpaw Justin Steele (4-7 3.63 ERA) will head to the hill for the Cubs in this contest. Last time out, Steele struck out nine batters and allowed two runs during a 4-2 home victory versus Washington.

The Washington Nationals have lost 42 of their 61 home games and own the worst overall record in the majors. On Monday, veteran DH Nelson Cruz hit a solo shot in the eighth inning to put Washington ahead to stay. Cruz added a two-run double in the fifth inning for the Nationals, who improved to 39-78 on the season.

Thirty-three year old lefty Patrick Corbin (4-16 7.02 ERA) has failed to live up to his massive contract. The Nationals have lost Corbin’s last five starts and he has been tagged for 26 runs over his last 15 plus frames.