The upcoming baseball showdown on September 21, 2024, will see the Washington Nationals challenge the Chicago Cubs at the iconic Wrigley Field. The first pitch is slated for 2:20 PM under what is expected to be minimally cloudy skies.

Washington will deploy MacKenzie Gore as their starting pitcher, who enters the game with a 4.167 ERA. Across the field, the Cubs will counter with Kyle Hendricks, who holds a 6.254 ERA. In the standings, the Nationals are currently positioned 13th within the NL East, managing a .440 winning percentage across the season. Their record stands at 68-86, with a 23-26 mark in divisional play. Despite their struggles, they have shown some resilience in recent outings, notching four wins in their last ten games, although they are currently grappling with a five-game losing streak.

Conversely, the Cubs are situated 8th in the NL Central with a record of 79 wins and 75 losses, reflecting a .510 winning percentage. They’ve won five of their last ten games and carry a two-game winning momentum into this matchup. Their performance at home shows promise at 41-35, contrasted against their 38-40 road record. Offensively, they’ve accumulated 708 runs while their pitchers have conceded 642.

Diving into the betting odds, the Cubs are favored with a Point Spread of -1.5 and a Money Line of -139 at home, reflecting their somewhat stronger season performance and home-field advantage. Meanwhile, the Nationals, priced at +118 on the Money Line, are considered underdogs but could potentially pull an upset, especially given the unpredictability of baseball. The Over/Under for total runs scored is set at 8.5, suggesting expectations of a moderately high-scoring affair between these two competitive teams.