The Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals close out their three-game series at Nationals Park on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, with both teams entering in strong recent form but with very different season-long trajectories—Chicago sitting atop the NL Central at 37–22 and Washington showing signs of life despite a 24–30 overall record. The Cubs have been one of baseball’s best teams over the past three weeks, going 14–4 since mid-May thanks to the consistent production of a balanced lineup and a dependable pitching staff that has combined for a top-five ERA in the National League. Their offense has been led by Seiya Suzuki’s recent hot stretch, strong situational hitting from Nico Hoerner and Christopher Morel, and the emergence of rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has made an immediate impact in the outfield and on the basepaths. On the mound, veteran lefty Matthew Boyd (5–2, 3.08 ERA) has delivered reliable starts, and the bullpen—featuring a mix of power arms and specialists—has done well at closing out leads and navigating tight innings. The Nationals, meanwhile, have rebounded from a miserable stretch in May where they dropped seven straight to now winning 11 of their last 15 games, fueled by the continued breakout of rookie slugger James Wood, who leads the team with 13 home runs and 36 RBIs, and the steady play of shortstop CJ Abrams, who’s batting .294 and anchoring the top of the order with speed and consistency.

Washington’s pitching staff has been more erratic, with starter MacKenzie Gore (2–5, 3.16 ERA) showing moments of brilliance but often struggling to get deep into games without taxing the bullpen, which remains a vulnerability despite recent reinforcements from their minor league system. Offensively, the Nationals have improved in situational hitting and have played more confidently at home, but they still lack the depth and firepower to go toe-to-toe with elite pitching staffs for nine innings. Betting markets favor the Cubs at –135 on the moneyline with an over/under set around 8.5 runs, and given the scoring profiles of both teams lately—including several games going over in this matchup—there’s reason to expect a moderately high-scoring finale. For the Cubs, sticking to their current formula of quality starting pitching, efficient offense, and sharp bullpen work should be enough to close out the series with a win, while the Nationals will need Gore to outduel Boyd and their lineup to produce early if they hope to prevent the sweep. Ultimately, this game serves as another test for Chicago to show they can maintain their hold atop the division against a hungry, resurgent underdog, while Washington views it as a chance to validate their recent surge with a win against one of the NL’s best.