All 30 MLB teams are slated to take the field on Saturday, March 28, and one of the first matchups of the day pits the Washington Nationals (1-0) vs. the Chicago Cubs (0-1) at 2:20 p.m. ET on ESPN.
In the first game of the series, Washington secured a lopsided 10-4 victory over Chicago.
Below, we’ll break down our Nationals vs. Cubs prediction and picks for Saturday’s matchup. Make your MLB picks on PrizePicks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Nationals vs. Cubs Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
The second game of the series is set to have Nationals SP Miles Mikolas (4.83 xFIP in 2025) and Cubs SP Cade Horton (4.27 xFIP) starting on the mound.
A 6-run fourth inning in Thursday’s series opener helped Washington begin the season in the win column. Home runs by 3B Brady House, RF Joey Wiemer, and CF Jacob Young all provided a boost to the Nats.
Cubs SP Matthew Boyd was cruising in Thursday’s start before coughing up 5 runs to Washington in the fourth inning, which forced Chicago to go to its bullpen sooner than they preferred.
While the Cubs were unable to keep things competitive in the first game of the season, 1B Michael Busch went 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI in the loss.
Nationals vs. Cubs Spread, Over/Under
The Nationals enter Saturday’s game as road underdogs, returning a 2.77x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Cubs are home favorites with a 1.42x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
- Spread: Cubs -1.5 (1.85x payout)
- Over/Under: 8.5 Runs (1.81x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Nationals 2.77x | Cubs 1.42x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Nationals vs. Cubs Prediction to Win – 3/28/26
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your Nationals vs. Cubs prediction on the winner for Saturday, March 28, on PrizePicks.
- During the 2025 campaign, the Cubs held a 49-26 record as home favorites.
- On the other hand, the Nationals went 31-44 as road underdogs last season.
- Nationals SP Miles Mikolas doesn’t miss many bats and gets hit hard, ranking in the fourth percentile in strikeout rate (14.9%) and first percentile in barrel rate (12.7%) a season ago, per Baseball Savant.
- In two of his final three seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals before joining Washington this offseason, Mikolas also posted a 4.76 xFIP or worse and a 5.27 xERA or worse.
- According to FanGraphs, the Cubs tallied the eighth-best wRC+ (110), eighth-best wOBA (.325), fifth-best ISO (.180), and fifth-lowest strikeout rate (20.5%) vs. right-handed pitchers in 2025.
- Once Mikolas exits the game, he’ll hand the ball to a Washington bullpen that had the worst xFIP (4.63) and worst xERA (4.80) last season.
- Chicago’s bullpen had the fifth-best xFIP (3.98) and 10th-best xERA (3.90).
Nationals vs. Cubs Picks for PrizePicks Today: 3/28/26
Here are the top Nationals vs. Cubs picks to target for Saturday, March 28, on PrizePicks. Today’s MLB picks for PrizePicks are headlined by Cubs 1B Michael Busch and OF Ian Happ.
Cubs 1B Michael Busch vs. Nationals Projection: 2.5 Hits+Runs+RBIs
- Busch performed well against right-handed pitching in 2025 to the tune of a 151 wRC+, .385 wOBA, and .281 ISO.
- Mikolas recorded a forgettable 5.10 xFIP, 14.6% strikeout rate, and 1.79 HR/9 to left-handed sluggers last season.
- With Busch hitting out of the leadoff spot against righties, he’ll likely benefit from Cubs 3B Alex Bregman (125 wRC+ in 2025), OF Ian Happ (116 wRC+), and OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (109 wRC+) hitting behind him.
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Cubs DH Ian Happ vs. Nationals Projection: 1.5 Total Bases
- As a switch-hitter, Happ had better metrics vs. right-handed pitchers last year, logging a 123 wRC+, .344 wOBA, and .193 ISO in that split.
- When facing left-handed pitching, Happ had a 96 wRC+, .305 wRC+, and .138 ISO.
- Happ also sported decent home/road splits, registering a 128 wRC+, .348 wOBA, and .196 ISO at Wrigley Field in 2025.
- On the road, he notched a 104 wRC+, .319 wOBA, and .161 ISO.
- Considering Mikolas has been an innings-eater over the years, Happ may get 4 or 5 total plate appearances against a meh starter and a below-average bullpen.
Make Nationals vs. Cubs Picks on PrizePicks
The Cubs are favorites to win the NL Central in 2026, and they’ll certainly be hoping to avoid an 0-2 start to the season at Wrigley Field. As for the Nationals, they’ll be looking to pull off another upset despite having a disadvantage on the bump.
You can make your Nationals vs. Cubs picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
Stick around with the Playbook for continued MLB predictions, picks, and news throughout the 2026 season.
