Nationals bring road slide into matchup against the Cubs

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Washington Nationals (56-84, fifth in the NL East) vs. Chicago Cubs (81-60, second in the NL Central)

Chicago; Saturday, 2:20 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: Brad Lord (4-8, 4.34 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 85 strikeouts); Cubs: Matthew Boyd (12-7, 2.94 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 142 strikeouts)

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -262, Nationals +212; over/under is 9 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals will try to break their six-game road skid in a matchup with the Chicago Cubs.

Chicago has an 81-60 record overall and a 44-26 record at home. The Cubs have gone 54-10 in games when they scored at least five runs.

Washington is 56-84 overall and 27-42 on the road. The Nationals are 36-13 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.

Saturday's game is the fifth meeting between these teams this season. The Cubs are up 3-1 in the season series.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has 25 doubles, four triples and 22 home runs while hitting .270 for the Cubs. Ian Happ is 14 for 36 with four doubles and four home runs over the last 10 games.

James Wood leads the Nationals with 58 extra base hits (31 doubles and 27 home runs). Nasim Nunez is 3 for 4 with two home runs and four RBIs over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 5-5, .252 batting average, 5.58 ERA, outscored by five runs

Nationals: 3-7, .236 batting average, 5.65 ERA, outscored by 23 runs

INJURIES: Cubs: Kyle Tucker: day-to-day (calf), Mike Soroka: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jameson Taillon: 15-Day IL (groin), Ryan Brasier: 15-Day IL (groin), Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (ankle), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Nationals: Drew Millas: 60-Day IL (finger), MacKenzie Gore: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Trevor Williams: 60-Day IL (elbow), Keibert Ruiz: 7-Day IL (concussion), Derek Law: 60-Day IL (forearm), DJ Herz: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josiah Gray: 60-Day IL (elbow)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.