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Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Good morning, Chicago.

Alex Bregman's first two plate appearances last night represented how tough the Cubs made it on Nationals starter Jake Irvin.

Bregman forced Irvin to throw 10 pitches both times he faced the right-hander, ultimately drawing a walk after falling behind 0-2 in their first matchup and coming around to score to get the Cubs on the board. By the end of the third inning, the Cubs had already forced Irvin to throw 75 pitches and knocked him out of the game in the fourth with his pitch count nearing 90.

Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki runs the bases after hitting off of Washington Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas during the eighth inning on Aug 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance )

The Cubs' patience paid off against Irvin (five runs) and Washington's bullpen in their 8-6 win at Nationals Park. The victory moved the Cubs 20 games above .500 for the first time this season.

"It was a real example of the strength of our offense and what our offense can do to a pitcher, " manager Craig Counsell said. "That's our offense at its best really. We didn't maybe put up the big number that they'll get the big hit — the home run with men on base or the double with men on base — those first five innings we made it really hard on them every single inning."

Chicago Bears training camp report: ‘Good back-and-forth’ between offense and defense at unscripted practice

The Chicago Bears held a largely unscripted practice Tuesday at Halas Hall. Coach Ben Johnson knew he would learn a lot about his team.

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Column: Chicago White Sox’s Pope Hat Night makes believers out of everyone

It was 1:40 a.m. at the Vatican when the Chicago White Sox game began, so we’re not sure if Pope Leo was tuning into the game and chuckling at the sight.

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Photos: Chicago White Sox’s Pope hat giveaway at Rate Field

Photos from the promotional pope hat giveaway at the Chicago White Sox game on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, at Rate Field.

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Northern Illinois will open the season with a 2 a.m. game as part of a men’s basketball marathon event

Northern Illinois will be part of the Field of 68’s 24-hour opening-day marathon on Nov. 2 in South Carolina and South Dakota.

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Caleb Williams and Garrett Bradbury strive to build a new quarterback-center relationship for Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams calls new center Garrett Bradbury “my guy,” while Bradbury sees a “fieriness” to Williams.

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Chicago Bears safety Coby Bryant will be out 4-6 months after knee surgery, Ben Johnson says

Coach Ben Johnson’s timeline indicates that the earliest Coby Bryant might return to the Chicago Bears is December. It’s possible he could miss the entire season.

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Chicago White Sox squander 4-run lead and strong start by Sean Burke in 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds

The Chicago White Sox hit three home runs on the way to building a four-run lead. But the Cincinnati Reds spoiled an outstanding outing from starter Sean Burke.

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Northwestern football receives $35 million from the Uihlein family, to be used ‘for sustained success’

The Uihlein family said it wanted to follow the lead of Pat and Shirley Ryan with its gift to the Northwestern football program.

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6 transfers to watch this college football season, including defending champ Indiana’s new QB

Some of this season’s top college football transfers simply followed their coaches from one school to another.

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Countdown to football: Junior safety Zen Cambric wants to sing a winning tune for No. 7 Homewood-Flossmoor

Zen Cambric looks forward to hearing chorus of cheers for Homewood-Flossmoor, which is No. 7 in Daily Southtown preseason rankings.

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