Washington Nationals vs. Chicago Cubs Picks and Prediction for Friday, September 5th, 2025
The Washington Nationals (56-83, 67-72 RL, 69-61-9 O/U) and the Chicago Cubs (80-60, 63-77 RL, 63-66-11 O/U) begin a three-game series on Friday evening, and we have you covered with the prediction. The Nationals are sending Jake Irvin to he mound. The Cubs will reply with Javier Assad. The Cubs lead the season series 2-1.
Can the Cubs post a dominating home win on Friday evening? Check out the Nationals vs. Cubs prediction. Hit a Grand Slam when utilizing our MLB Picks
Nationals Record Sweep Against Marlins
Jake Irvin will get the nod to begin the series. Irvin was shaky in his recent effort, giving up four runs in six innings against the Rays, and was hit with the loss. The veteran righty has struggled for the majority of the season. He has conceded 27 runs in his past 27 innings and has delivered a weak 5.42 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP, accompanied by an 8-10 record in 154.1 innings of work. Irvin conceded three runs in five innings against the Cubs earlier this season and has conceded 16 runs with an 0-3 record in 18 career innings.
The Washington Nationals have not shown any improvement this season and are on track to lose 95+ games. The squad was dealt a sweep by Tampa Bay last weekend and posted a series sweep of their own against the Marlins this week, scoring 17 runs and conceding seven runs. The Nationals are 27-41 on the road.
James Wood posted one RBI against the Cubs in the first series. The young slugger is having a breakout season, posting 27 homers with 86 RBIs on the season. Luis Garcia Jr. is having a mediocre season. The 25-year-old second baseman has five RBIs in his last 11 games and 57 RBIs and a .698 on the year. CJ Abrams posted a .655 OPS last month. The young shortstop is having a promising season, posting 53 RBIs and a.775 OPS. Jacob Young has not had the breakout season the Nationals were expecting. The 26-year-old has only managed 26 RBIs and a .590 OPS.
Washington is averaging 4.122 runs per game, ranking them 22nd. The pitching staff is a big weakness, issuing a 5.29 ERA, pegging them 29th.
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Chicago Remains in 1st Wildcard Spot
Javier Assad will be on the rubber to begin the series. Assad did not make his season debut until early last month due to injury. He has been sharp in three of his four starts. The veteran yielded three runs in six innings against the Rockies this past week and earned his first win of the season. Assad has conceded nine runs in 20 innings this season, resulting in a 4.05 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP, accompanied by a 1-1 record in 20 innings on the year. Assad has contained the Nationals in his career, keeping them to six runs and a 1-0 record in 16 innings.
The Chicago Cubs are in great shape in the standings. They are six games behind the Brewers in the division but stand in the 1st wildcard spot, four games ahead of the Padres. Chicago has won five of its past six series. They earned a series win against the Rockies last weekend and posted another series triumph against the Braves this week. They kept the Braves to 15 runs. The Cubs are 43-26 at home.
Matt Shaw has amassed just two RBIs in his last eight games. The young third baseman has 11 bombs with 36 RBIs and a .698 OPS on the year. Nico Hoerner has two RBIs against the Nationals this season. The veteran second baseman has managed 54 RBIs and a .713 OPS on the season. Kyle Tucker has broken out of his slump. The star slugger had a disastrous August but has rebounded with 10 RBIs in his past 10 games.. Tucker has 73 RBIs on the year. Seiya Suzuki has one RBI and a .630 OPS against the Nationals this season. The veteran has netted 89 RBIs this season.
Chicago is posting an average of 4.91 runs on the season, rating them eighth. The pitching staff has a 3.88 ERA, placing them 10th.
Nationals vs. Cubs Pick
Spread Pick for Nationals vs. Cubs
- Chicago Cubs -1.5 (5 units)
The Washington Nationals have not been any better as the season has progressed. They have earned just one series in the past month. They have dropped five straight road games. The Chicago Cubs continue to excel. They have won four of their last six games and are 7-3 in their past 10 home games.
Furthermore, Nats pitcher Jake Irvin continues to be exposed, surrendering 22 runs in his past five outings spanning 24.1 innings pitched. He has squandered 16 runs in 18 career innings against Chicago. The Nationals have lost in five of Irvin's past six outings. Cubs pitcher Javier Assad has contained the Nationals in his career, conceding just five runs in 16 career innings.
Over/Under Pick for Nationals vs. Cubs
- Over 9.5 (5 units)
I expect a ton of scoring. Washington should contribute to this total against Assad, who has only made four outings this season. He has issued a subpar 4.05 ERA on the season. Washington has been decent at the plate this week, scoring 22 runs in its past five games.
In addition, Chicago scored 15 runs in the first series against the Nationals. Irvin isn’t pitching deep into games, and the bullpen has issued a weak 5.35 ERA on the season, the worst in the big leagues. The Nationals have conceded 35 runs in their past five road games.
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