Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals Odds & Pick: August 25th 2010

Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals
Pick: Chicago Cubs -105 odds
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The Cubs have won the first two games of this series which have coincided with the start of interim manager Mike Quade who took over for Lou Piniella after his early retirement on Sunday. The Cubs go for the sweep tonight behind a huge pitching advantage that does not seem to be incorporated with this line. Chicago has had a rough season on the road this year at 25-36 but going back to its last roadtrip it has won four straight and the new manager may have pumped some life into this team for the home stretch.

Washington has now dropped three straight games and it is only 4-12 over its last 16 contests. The Nationals were a solid bet at home earlier in the season and while still over .500 on the season, they have lost a lot of their value since they are getting put into the role of favorite. It has gotten a lot worse as Washington is just 2-7 in its last nine home games and with the first two losses in this series, the Nationals have dropped six straight at home to the Cubs.

The Cubs go with Ryan Dempster who has been the most consistent pitcher in the rotation this season. He has tossed four straight quality outings and of his 26 starts, 18 have been quality performances which is a very positive percentage. The Cubs have won six of his last nine starts including three of four on the road which is a big turnaround from when they were losing the majority of his starts.

Dempster has faced Washington three times while with the Cubs and has three quality starts while posting a 2.42 ERA.

The Nationals counter with Jason Marquis who is coming off his best start of the season which is not saying much. He allowed one run in five innings against the Phillies but he has yet to post a quality outing on the season. Washington is 0-6 in his six starts on the season including 0-3 since his return from AAA Syracuse. In three home starts his ERA is a whopping 20.25.

Play against home teams with an on-base percentage of .260 or worse over their last three games and starting a pitcher whose WHIP is 2.000 or worse over his last five starts. This situation is 59-31 (65.6 percent) since 1997. 3* Chicago Cubs