Cubs vs Nationals Picks and Prediction – 9/1/2024

In Sunday afternoon MLB action, the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals will wrap up their series from the nation’s capital. Be ready for the baseball season with all of our MLB predictions. The Cubs (70-66) are riding a five-game winning streak and are 4.5 games back in the race for the final NL Wild Card spot. On Saturday, 2B Nico Hoerner had a pair of hits and scored twice to spark Chicago to a 5-3 road victory. 

Thirty-two year old righty Jameson Taillon (9-8 3.85 ERA) will take the mound for the Cubs in this matchup. In his last start, Taillon (6.2 IP) allowed eight hits and four runs during an 18-8 road triumph against Pittsburgh. 

The Washington Nationals are four games below .500 at home and could be in contention for a playoff spot as soon as next year. During Saturday’s home loss, Washington batters went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. 3B Jose Tena collected three hits and scored a run for the Nationals, who fell to 61-75 overall.

Rookie left-hander Mitchell Parker (7-8 4.26 ERA) will make his 25th career major league start for the Nationals. Through 126 plus innings, Parker has fanned 109 batters and owns a respectable 1.26 WHIP.

Washington OF Alex Call has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a foot injury. Through 136 games, Chicago ranks 14th in OPS and 15th in runs scored. For the season, Washington ranks 22nd in OPS and 20th in runs scored. Take the under. Final Score Prediction, Chicago Cubs win 4-3.