Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals Prediction – 6/5/2025 – SCCG Management

Fahad Umar
June 5, 2025
3:51 am

The Chicago Cubs face the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on June 5, 2025. The Nationals, at 29-32, are struggling, while the Cubs, at 38-23, are having a strong season. On June 4, the Nationals won 2-0 against the Cubs, potentially boosting their confidence.

Jake Irvin will pitch for the Nationals with a 5-1 record and a 3.93 ERA. However, he allowed 6 earned runs in his last start, and with an xFIP of 4.57, he may face challenges against the Cubs’ strong lineup, which is 3rd in the league in offense.

Colin Rea pitches for the Cubs with a 3.96 ERA, but he also allowed 6 earned runs in his last game. Both are right-handed pitchers aiming to improve after recent struggles.

The Cubs have the 2nd best batting average and are 5th in home runs, while the Nationals rank 15th in offense. With a game total of 9.5 runs, it’s expected to be a high-scoring game. The Cubs are favored with a moneyline of -145 due to their strong performance this season.

Quick Takes Chicago Cubs:

The Nationals have 9 batters with the platoon advantage against Colin Rea today.

Right-handed pitchers tend to struggle against left-handed hitters. A significant platoon advantage can impact the pitcher’s performance.

Michael Busch’s seasonal exit velocity increased recently from 91.2-mph to 103.1-mph.

Higher exit velocity increases chances of home runs or hits landing in fair territory.

The Cubs have been the luckiest offense according to THE BAT X projection system and might perform worse going forward.

Teams that overperform projections might be overvalued by markets and could decline in future performance.

Quick Takes Washington Nationals:

Jake Irvin’s fastball has dropped 2.4 mph this season (now 91.5 mph).

Fastball velocity is crucial for strikeouts and preventing runs; decreased velocity usually leads to poorer performance.

Chicago’s strong outfield defense is challenging for Robert Hassell III, who hits many flyballs.

This player’s skill set poorly aligns with the opposing team’s defensive strengths, possibly affecting performance negatively.

The Nationals’ bullpen ranks 10th among MLB teams according to THE BAT.

A strong bullpen can create tougher matchups for opposing offenses and suppress runs in a game.

Game Trends

The Nationals have hit the Moneyline in 16 of their last 31 games (+6.38 Units / 20% ROI)
The Cubs have hit the Moneyline in 36 of their last 55 games (+12.20 Units / 14% ROI)
Dansby Swanson has hit the Total Bases Over in 11 of his last 15 away games (+7.20 Units / 34% ROI)