Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 03/29/26

The Chicago Cubs bounced back in a big way on Saturday afternoon against the Washington Nationals after a disappointing start to their season on Opening Day. While the Nationals had a 10-run outburst on a Matthew Boyd start, which feels like a bit of an anomaly, the Cubs’ depth shone through on Saturday, and it’ll only continue in the rubber match of the series.

Jake Irvin will get the start for the Nationals in his fourth season in the majors. The right-hander has only been getting worse in each season as teams continue to figure him out, culminating in a 5.70 ERA last season with 39 home runs allowed. Some of the Cubs’ best hitters have all performed well against Irvin, with each of Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, and Dansby Swanson getting a home run off of him last season. They also have five regulars with an OPS above 1.000 against the Nationals’ pitcher.

The Cubs will send Shota Imanaga to the mound, who performed well against the Nationals’ core last season. Imanaga wasn’t able to replicate the success of his rookie season last year, but he still performed above average for Chicago and was a major reason they made it to the postseason. Imanaga didn’t have the greatest Spring Training, but he notoriously struggles during the pre-regular-season ramp-up. The Cubs aren’t concerned about whether he’ll be ready to go Sunday.

Nationals vs Cubs prediction: Cubs -1.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.