Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals Odds, Analysis and MLB Betting Pick

The Chicago Cubs (39-37) will attempt to win consecutive games for the first time in a week when they visit the Washington Nationals (45-31) for the second of four Tuesday as solid road underdogs at the sportsbooks.

The Cubs won the series opener 5-4 despite giving up four runs at the bottom of the ninth inning and pulled within one game of the Milwaukee Brewers for the lead in the National League Central.

Betting line: The Nationals opened as -158 favorites (wager $158 to win $100); the total is at 7.5 runs, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. Line updates and matchup report.

MLB betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 4.7-3.8, Nationals (MLB picks on every game)

Why the Cubs can pay on the MLB lines

Monday's victory was a big one for Chicago, as the team has now won eight of the past 10 meetings with Washington. Even though the Cubs were forced to use eight pitchers, they held on and saw the Nationals use five in defeat.

Next up on the mound for Chicago is Jake Arrieta (7-5, 4.36 ERA), who has only lost one of his last five starts. He is 2-1 during that stretch and has seen his ERA drop from 4.92 to 4.36 after allowing one run and six hits in seven innings on the road against the Miami Marlins last Thursday, walking none and striking out three.

Why the Nationals can pay on the MLB lines

Washington will send Max Scherzer (8-5, 2.09) to the hill opposite Arrieta, and he has been outstanding in each of his last six outings. Scherzer has thrown 100 pitches or more each time but has allowed as many as two earned runs just once with at least 10 strikeouts in all six.

The Nats have gone 4-2 in those games, scoring one run in each of the two losses. Scherzer's ERA is a miniscule 0.89 in June as well, with opposing batters hitting only .117 against him. Scherzer will be tough to beat if he can keep it up.

Smart betting pick

The Cubs enjoyed some success versus Scherzer a year ago, hitting five home runs off him in splitting two games. But four of them came in a road loss at Wrigley Field in early May of 2016, and he got his revenge at home a little more than a month later in giving up one run and two hits in seven innings with no walks and 11 strikeouts of a win.

Look for Washington to even the series with a victory, backing up Scherzer with more runs.

MLB betting trends

Chicago is 6-3 in its last nine games.

The total has gone under in nine of Chicago's last 10 games.

Washington is 3-7 in its last 10 games at home.

All MLB lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.