
Nationals and Cubs meet to decide series winner
Chicago Cubs (38-23, first in the NL Central) vs. Washington Nationals (29-32, third in the NL East)
Washington; Thursday, 6:45 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Drew Pomeranz (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.51 WHIP, 15 strikeouts); Nationals: Jake Irvin (5-1, 3.93 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 47 strikeouts)
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -145, Nationals +121; over/under is 9 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs play on Thursday with the three-game series tied 1-1.
Washington has gone 14-15 in home games and 29-32 overall. The Nationals have a 13-22 record in games when they have allowed at least one home run.
Chicago has a 38-23 record overall and an 18-12 record on the road. The Cubs have a 34-8 record in games when they record at least eight hits.
Thursday's game is the third time these teams meet this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: James Wood has 16 doubles and 16 home runs while hitting .283 for the Nationals. Josh Bell is 10 for 33 with three home runs over the past 10 games.
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Kyle Tucker has 10 doubles, four triples and 12 home runs while hitting .283 for the Cubs. Michael Busch is 10 for 27 with two triples and two home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 6-4, .246 batting average, 3.84 ERA, outscored opponents by 10 runs
Cubs: 7-3, .249 batting average, 3.10 ERA, outscored opponents by 10 runs
INJURIES: Nationals: Jacob Young: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Dylan Crews: 10-Day IL (back), Paul DeJong: 10-Day IL (face), Orlando Ribalta: 15-Day IL (biceps), Derek Law: 15-Day IL (forearm), DJ Herz: 60-Day IL (elbow), Mason Thompson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josiah Gray: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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Cubs: Kyle Tucker: day-to-day (finger), Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (oblique), Porter Hodge: 15-Day IL (oblique), Tyson Miller: 60-Day IL (hip), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Shota Imanaga: 15-Day IL (leg), Javier Assad: 60-Day IL (oblique), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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Many in the Astros organization rave about Smith's maturity. That could be traced back to a childhood where he had to grow up fast being raised by a single mother who often worked long hours to keep the family afloat. In middle school, Smith would come home from school and do homework before walking to a grocery store where he'd often buy a sub sandwich for dinner while Hocza worked until 10 p.m. most nights as a cook at a Lake Worth, Florida, bingo hall. 'He had to mature because he had to be responsible for his things,' Hocza said. 'I couldn't be there every night like most parents.' Though it was difficult at the time, Hocza now sees those early days with her son as a blessing. 'The best thing to do for your kids is make them figure it out,' she said. 'It was kind of forced upon him, but he definitely made the most of it and it turned him into who he is.' Smith's grandmother, Pattie Thomas, a lifelong Cubs fan, signed him up for T-ball when he was just 5 years old. 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'When you get the response and the feedback of someone like Cam, you quickly learn that he's built different, he's wired different,' Capista said. 'It's so cliche to say you want to be great ... but when you hear it and you get to know someone like Cam, you quickly learn that he means it, and he does the work, he does the stuff in the background that no one sees.' Before spring training Smith visited the Maven Baseball Lab, where they helped him refine his swing path so he could take another step forward. 'I could see a video that my bat was getting pretty flat early before I would go to swing and I'm just glad I had somebody like them to explain it to me,' he said. 'Break it down like: 'Hey, you're dumping the water out of the cup too early. Let's keep that upright a little longer.'' After the trade to Houston, Smith quickly impressed. He hit .342 with four homers and 11 RBIs this spring while navigating the move from third base to right field to make the opening day roster. 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