Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals 2017: Game 5 Prediction, Betting Odds

It all comes down to Thursday night for the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals. The two teams will meet in Game 5 of the 2017 NLDS at Nationals Park with a trip to the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the line.

Chicago had a chance to close out the series at Wrigley Field, but they were shut down by Stephen Strasburg. The right-hander had the best pitching performance of the MLB playoffs thus far, striking out 12 batters in seven shutout innings.

Now, it’s “all hands on deck” in the winner-take-all contest.

That statement is especially true for Washington, who didn’t name a Game 5 starting pitcher Wednesday night. Manager Dusty Baker said that Tanner Roark or Gio Gonzalez would get the nod, admitting that both pitchers could take the mound at some point.

“I’m not trying to be coy at all, because that was the theme of the day with [Stephen Strasburg],” Baker told reporters after Game 4. “Whoever it is, I hope they pitch like Stras did today.”

Strasburg is the only Nationals' pitcher that won’t be available Thursday night. If it’s Roark that gets the start, he’ll likely be on a short leash and exit the game if he runs into any trouble. The same goes for Gonzalez, who allowed three runs in five innings in Game 2.

Max Scherzer has had just two days rest since allowing one run in 6.1 innings in Game 3. As the team’s ace, he’ll likely find his way into the game.

The Cubs will approach Game 5 a little bit differently. They can’t use either Jake Arrieta or Jon Lester in relief since the two starters threw 90 pitches and 55 pitches, respectively, Wednesday night in Game 4.

That puts the onus on Kyle Hendricks to get the job done in Thursday’s elimination game. The right-hander isn’t a Cy Young winner like Arrieta, and he doesn’t have a lucrative contract like Lester. But he’s the team’s ace and gives Chicago the best chance to advance to the NLCS for a third straight year.

Hendricks was virtually unhittable in Game 1, surrendering two hits, three walks and no runs. He struck out six Nationals in seven innings on the way to a 3-0 road win, out-dueling Strasburg.

It was a continuation of how well Hendricks pitched to end the regular season. Hendricks had a 2.19 ERA after the All-Star break, never allowing more than three runs in an outing. He faced Washington in one of those starts, giving up two runs and seven baserunners in seven innings.

With Hendricks on the mound but the contest being played in Washington, Game 5 is essentially a toss-up. Chicago is the slightest of betting favorites with -107 odds, via OddsShark. The Nationals are -103 underdogs.

As strange as it might seem, the Cubs are the team that’s proven they can get the job done in the postseason. The Nationals have become known for their early playoff exits, failing to get out of the NLDS in their three postseason trips since 2012.

Thursday might bring another October disappointment for Washington.

Prediction: Chicago over Washington, 5-2