MLB – Major League Baseball

Last Night

Chicago Cubs 5, Washington Nationals 2

Tigers and White Sox were both off

Cubs 5, Nationals 2 – Ian Happ homers twice as Cubs beat Nationals 5-2

Ian Happ homered twice and drove in three runs, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the Washington Nationals 5-2. Happ put Chicago ahead to stay with a two-run shot in the third inning. He also led off the fifth with his sixth homer. It was Happ’s first multihomer game since Sept. 5 against St. Louis and No. 8 for his career. Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber hit back-to-back homers for Washington in the first, but Joe Ross lasted just 3 2/3 innings in his second straight loss.

Tonight

Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees, 7:05 p.m.

Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 p.m.                94.9 WSJM/103.7 Cosy-FM 7:50

Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, 8:15 p.m.

MLB – Cubs place OF Heyward on IL with left hamstring strain

The Chicago Cubs have placed outfielder Jason Heyward on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Heyward left Wednesday night’s 4-3 loss to Washington in the fourth inning. He is batting .183 with four homers and 13 RBIs in 39 games. The Cubs also recalled outfielder Nick Martini from Triple-A Iowa before their 5-2 victory over the Nationals.

MLB – Hoyer disappointed with Cubs’ COVID-19 vaccination rate

Chicago Cubs executive Jed Hoyer is disappointed with the team’s COVID-19 vaccination rate, and he isn’t sure if it will ever reach Major League Baseball’s threshold for relaxing some of its coronavirus protocols. Despite the team’s vaccination advocacy and education program, the Cubs remain shy of 85% for their Tier 1 players and staff. Hoyer says “there’s a real competitive advantage” to the relaxation of MLB's COVID-19 rules.

NBA – National Basketball Association – NBA Play-In Tournament

Last Night

Washington Wizards 142, Indiana Pacers 115                  (Indiana eliminated)

Wizards 142, Pacers 115 – d Beal, Westbrook lead Wiz past Pacers 142-115 for East 8 seed

Russell Westbrook nearly had a triple-double and Bradley Beal scored 25 points in just 29 minutes to help the Washington Wizards reach the NBA playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed by overwhelming the Indiana Pacers 142-115 in the play-in round. Washington led by as many as 38 points and advanced to face Joel Embiid and the No. 1 seed Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. It all marks quite a turnaround for coach Scott Brooks’ Washington team, which was 17-32 in early April. Indiana’s run of five consecutive playoff appearances ended in coach Nate Bjorkgren’s debut season.

Tonight

Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors, 9:00 p.m.

NHL – 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs – Round 1 – Best of 7

Last Night

Florida Panthers 6, Tampa Bay Lightning 5 – OT                          (TBL leads 2-1)

Pittsburgh Penguins 5, New York Islanders 4                             (PIT leads 2-1)

Montreal Canadiens 2, Toronto Maple Leafs 1                             (MTL leads 1-0)

Vegas Golden Knights 5, Minnesota Wild 2                                 (VGK leads 2-1)

Tonight

Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins, 6:30 p.m.                        (BOS leads 2-1)

Carolina Hurricanes at Nashville Predators, 7:00 p.m.               (CAR leads 2-0)

Winnipeg Jets at Edmonton Oilers, 9:00 p.m.                               (WPG leads 1-0)

Colorado Avalanche at St. Louis Blues, 9:30 p.m.                       (COL leads 2-0)

NHL – Avalanche’s Kadri suspended for hit vs Blues pending hearing

Colorado’s Nazem Kadri was suspended indefinitely Thursday pending a video hearing with NHL officials over his illegal check to the head of St.