The Chicago Cubs hope to sweep the Washington Nationals on Thursday at Nationals Park, beginning at 4:05 p.m. ET. Kevin Gausman (6-10, 4.29 ERA) gets the start for the Cubs, who are 71-50 this season and second in the NL Central. Cade Cavalli (9-5, 3.57 ERA) is starting for the Nationals, who are 59-63 and fourth in the NL East.

How to watch Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals

Cubs vs. Nationals odds

• Favorite Moneyline: Cubs -149
• Underdog Moneyline: Nationals +125
• Total: 8.5
• Total Over Odds: -118
• Total Under Odds: -102

Injury reports

Cubs

Matt Shaw: 10 Day IL (Hand), Daniel Palencia: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Hoby Milner: 15 Day IL (Appendicitis), Gavin Hollowell: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Phil Maton: 15 Day IL (Knee), Edward Cabrera: 15 Day IL (Hamstring), Riley Martin: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Porter Hodge: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Justin Steele: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Shelby Miller: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Hunter Harvey: 60 Day IL (Tricep), Cade Horton: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Christopher Austin: 60 Day IL (Knee), Ben Brown: 60 Day IL (Neck)

Nationals

James Wood: 10 Day IL (Oblique), Drew Millas: 10 Day IL (Finger), Connelly Early: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Josiah Gray: 60 Day IL (Elbow), DJ Herz: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Ken Waldichuk: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Richard Lovelady: 60 Day IL (Tricep), Mitchell Parker: 60 Day IL (Elbow), PJ Poulin: 60 Day IL (Flexor)

Stats to know

• Chicago’s Pete Crow-Armstrong is slashing .284/.384/.544 this season with 27 home runs (9th in MLB), 73 RBIs (16th in MLB) and an OPS of .927 (4th in MLB). He has a 27% strikeout rate and a 12.1% walk rate in 538 plate appearances, and he has scored 86 total runs. Crow-Armstrong has recorded 30 steals on 37 attempts.
• In 542 plate appearances, Alex Bregman has slashed .256/.347/.412 this season. He has hit 16 long balls and driven in 61 runs with a strikeout rate of 15.9% and a walk rate of 11.1%. He has come around to score 69 times.
• CJ Abrams is hitting for a .284 BA, .358 OBP and .544 SLG with a 23.2% strikeout rate and an 8.7% walk rate. His OPS is .902, which ranks 7th in MLB, and he has scored 75 runs. In 508 plate appearances, he has hit 29 home runs (8th in MLB) and driven in 91 runs (1st in MLB). Abrams has recorded 23 steals on 28 attempts.
• In 496 plate appearances, Daylen Lile has hit 15 long balls, tallied 64 RBIs and scored 60 runs. He is batting .247/.296/.417 and has posted a 19% strikeout rate and a 5.6% walk rate. Lile has recorded 12 steals on 17 attempts.

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Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

Keely Hodgkinson’s bid for European gold continued as she stormed into the final of the women’s 800m – moments after rival Audrey Werro suffered a dramatic fall that put her place in Friday’s showpiece in doubt.

Werro – who ran the fastest time for 43 years earlier this season – led from the start in the first semi-final, but crashed to the floor on the final bend.

The Swiss 22-year-old got back to her feet a moment later and finished the race in last place, grimacing and clutching her chest.

However, Werro will race against Hodgkinson in a highly-anticipated final following a successful appeal – despite footage showing she clipped her own leg before falling.

There was less drama in the second semi-final, with Hodgkinson safely crossing the line first in one minute 57.38 seconds.

The Olympic champion led from the start and held off the fast-improving Femke Broeders-Bol – a two-time world 400m champion who chose to switch events this season – to advance.

Asked if she had seen Werro’s fall before her race, Hodgkinson told BBC TV: “I heard a ‘ooh’ [from the crowd] which is never a good sign. I don’t know what it looked like.”

Speaking before Werro’s appeal, Hodgkinson added: “Obviously it’s a real shame and I hope she’s OK.

“I hope she’s in the final tomorrow, that’d be a really exciting race.”

When a team is knocked down several rungs after falling just short of the summit, it’s reasonable to wonder how many more expeditions to the top they have left in them.

The Edmonton Oilers will provide their answer to that question next season. After landing one and two wins short of the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025, respectively, their first-round exit to the Anaheim Ducks this spring was a humbling return to base camp.

While playoff pain is rationalized by many as a prerequisite to eventual postseason success, the salary-cap era is replete with cautionary tales of teams that missed out on Stanley Cup glory after sustained periods of contention. The San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators and New York Rangers all come to mind. The Oilers hope to be on a different side of history — one that includes the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes, recent winners who all faced long and adversarial climbs to the top.

Perhaps no franchise in the NHL stands to benefit more from an early playoff exit than the Oilers, who have played the most postseason games of any club since 2022 (81). That, combined with injuries, goaltending insecurity and a lack of cohesion, meant a reset was needed.

It’s been 105 days since the Oilers were ousted from playoff contention, and that number will have stretched to 152 when they host the Vancouver Canucks in their Sept. 29 home opener. That’s 39 more days than the previous summer. For one of the NHL’s most veteran-laden rosters, there might not be a more important offseason takeaway.

Still, the 2026-27 club will be different in more tangible ways. Mike Babcock is still on track to coach his first NHL game since November 2019, incumbent starter Tristan Jarry will face competition in the crease from newcomers Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi, and Ryan Shea and Shakir Mukhamadullin will enter camp looking to solidify the Oilers’ blue line, which will be without Darnell Nurse for the first time in 12 years.

News has slowed to a trickle now, but the well will be bursting once the Oilers begin training camp in slightly more than a month. It’s time to gauge your thoughts on the summer, and where you think the Oilers are headed next season. Please enjoy filling out this fan survey, which will stay open until Tuesday night. The results will be published next week.

(Anyone having difficulty accessing the survey can use this link.)