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Cubs at Nationals MLB Odds & Pick for NLDS Game 1
When: Friday, October 6, 2017, 7:31pm ET Where: Nationals Park, Washington, DC TV: TBS Radio: ESPN Radio Live Stream: MLB.tv MLB Odds: Nationals at -1.5 Pitching Matchup: Kyle Hendricks (7-5, 3.03 ERA) (CHI) vs Undecided (WAS)We’re ready for tomorrow. #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/HNt8W0cuEu
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 5, 2017
Why should you bet on the Cubs?
Despite Hendricks’ clutch pitching, the Cubs have not had the same solid starting pitching this season that they did in 2016. They rank #22 in the National League in walks allowed. Their team ERA is just a few percentage points higher than Washington’s, but all of those extra runners on base mean more chances for the Nationals’ bats to drive in runs. Once you hit the bullpen, though, the Cubs have the edge. Their relievers have issued many fewer walks than their counterparts in the Nationals’ bullpen, and they have fanned a lot more batters. From an offensive perspective, the teams are roughly even, as they have almost scored the same number of runs during the regular season, although the Cubs have hit a few more home runs. If you like Chicago, then you like them to take advantage of the uncertainty in that Washington clubhouse. It’s likely that Dusty Baker is waiting to see how Max Scherzer’s hamstring tests out before setting his starting rotation for the series, but the Nationals have to be coming in asking themselves if this year will be any different. The Cubs have the postseason momentum from a year ago, and the fact that they put together a better second half this year to leave the Brewers and the Cardinals behind them.Why should you put your money on the Nationals?
For the first two-thirds of the season, Washington’s bullpen was beyond shaky. However, in the last two months, they were able to pull things together and came in fourth in the National League in saves. Sean Doolittle was the National League’s Reliever of the Month for Washington, and the Nationals’ front office brought in Brandon Kintzler and Ryan Madson as well to give the pen some depth. The Nationals had three hitters — Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmermann and Anthony Rendon — finish in the top 15 hitters in the National League in terms of average, with all over .300, and their team batting average for the season was higher than Chicago’s as well.
Intangibles are a bit of a question for Washington. They have won four National League East crowns in the last six seasons, but they have never won a postseason series as a franchise. They take on a Cubs team that won it all a season ago. This could lead to some fatigue for the Cubs, but it should also lead to confidence for them — while the Nationals have that legacy of losing to overcome. If they go with Strasburg to start the game, they’ll have the best hurler on their staff since the All-Star break. He was the National League’s Pitcher of the Month in September, putting up a 4-0 record with a 0.83 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 32 ⅔ innings during that span. Scherzer and Gonzalez would be solid choices as well.
