The Washington Nationals battle the visiting Chicago Cubs on Thursday in MLB betting action at Nationals Park.

Matt Garza, with a record of 4-7 on the season, gets the ball for the Cubs, while the Nationals trot Livan Hernandez to the mound in this one. He is 5-8 so far in 2011.



View Chi Cubs vs Washington Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers opened the Nationals as -130 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 8.

Power Rankings:
The Nationals sit at No. 13 in the National League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Cubs sit at a National League No. 10 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Washington's No. 12-rated National League offense, averaging 3.8 runs per game, against a Cubs defense that ranks No. 15 in the National League at 4.9 in runs allowed per game. The Nationals have averaged 7.8 hits per game so far, less than Cubs batters have averaged on the year (9 hits per game).

Comparing defensive stats, Chicago owns the National League's No. 16-rated road mark, allowing 5 runs per game on the highway. Washington, on the other hand, rates No. 9 in scoring at home.

Chicago was a 5-4 loser in its last match on the road against the Nationals. They lost as +130 underdogs, while the total score of 9 made winners of OVER bettors. Chicago looks to rebound from a loss to the Nationals, who beat them 5-4 on Wednesday behind a start from Tom Gorzelanny at Nationals Park.




Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Pittsburgh are 4-6
After playing Washington are 3-7
After a loss are 4-6

Washington Nationals Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Colorado are 4-6
After playing Chi Cubs are 7-3
After a win are 5-5

A few Cubs at Nationals trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi Cubs' last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chi Cubs' last 8 games when playing on the road against Washington
Chi Cubs are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games when playing Washington
Washington is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games at home
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 8 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games at home


Next up:
Chi Cubs at Pittsburgh, Friday, July 8
Washington home to Colorado, Friday, July 8