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Cubs believe chemistry has kept them successful through injuries

It's been an interesting month of May for the Cubs. They've gone 18-7, with all seven of the losses by 1 run, despite eight position players spending time on the injured list.

David Bote figures to be the next injured list addition, since he separated his left shoulder in the fourth inning of Saturday's game.

Obviously, several players have stepped up to provide depth. But the Cubs have also talked about how the strong chemistry in the clubhouse has helped keep the team together.

"We're having a great time in our clubhouse," Ian Happ said Saturday. "I think the group of players that's been put together here is very unique and one of the most fun groups I've been around. It's an absolute blast to come to work every day and play with these guys. We're having a lot of fun just to come to work every day and play with these guys."

The Cubs' offseason additions have been especially successful, with Joc Pederson and Jake Marisnick often described as fun guys to have in the clubhouse, while Matt Duffy has been the "big brother" of the group. Those are also guys who brought more contact to the lineup, and that's clearly rubbed off on the Cubs' World Series group.

"I think there's a lot of intangibles that go into chemistry," manager David Ross said. "I do believe in it and I do believe if you have two equally talented groups, the teams that cares about one another more and somehow going to find a way to beat the other team.

"That's just my opinion. I have no scientific evidence of that, just my experiences. I believe in it and I think these guys care about one another and have a lot of those intangibles."

• Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls

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