WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Bregman hit three homers in a game for the first time and drove in a career-high seven runs as the Chicago Cubs routed the Washington Nationals 12-6 on Wednesday night.
Dansby Swanson also went deep for Chicago, which pulled within three games of NL Central-leading Milwaukee. The Cubs have won eight of nine and are a season-high 21 games over .500 at 71-50.
Click to Gallery
Chicago Cubs third baseman Pedro Ramírez commits a fielding error on a hit by Washington Nationals' Jacob Young during the second inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch catches the ball for an out before Washington Nationals' Michael Busch (12) can reach first base during the third inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher David Peterson throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Chicago Cubs' Alex Bregman, left, runs the bases and celebrates his home run with third base coach Quintin Berry (0) hit off of Washington Nationals pitcher Orlando Ribalta during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Chicago Cubs' Alex Bregman (3) is greeted in the dugout by teammates after scoring a run on a sacrifice fly hit by Nico Hoerner off of Washington Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin during the second inning of a baseball game in Washington, Tuesday, Aug 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Abimelec Ortiz and José Tena homered, and Daylen Lile had three RBIs for Washington.
In the fifth, Bregman ripped a sweeper from Jake Bird into the visitors' bullpen in left for a three-run shot to cap the Cubs’ four-run inning.
Swanson hit a go-ahead RBI double against Tom Cosgrove (0-2) in the sixth. Two batters later, Seiya Suzuki delivered a two-run single off Yovanny Cruz before Bregman pulled a two-run shot to left off the rookie to make it 9-4.
The three-time All-Star added a two-run drive off Trevor Williams into the Chicago bullpen in the eighth. Swanson was the last Cub with three homers in a game, doing so July 1 against San Diego.
It was Bregman’s ninth multi-homer game and first since March 29, when he did it at home against the Nationals. The 32-year-old has 16 homers in his first season with Chicago.
Cubs starter David Peterson (7-7) allowed four runs --- three earned --- while striking out six over five innings. Peterson improved to 9-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 17 appearances against Washington. He has never allowed a home run in 86 1/3 innings against the Nationals.
Javier Assad pitched four innings for his second save.
Washington left-hander Jackson Kent allowed three runs on three hits and five walks over four-plus innings in his major league debut. He struck out six.
Chicago RHP Kevin Gausman (6-10, 4.29 ERA) faces Washington RHP Cade Cavalli (9-5, 3.57) as the series concludes Thursday.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Chicago Cubs third baseman Pedro Ramírez commits a fielding error on a hit by Washington Nationals' Jacob Young during the second inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch catches the ball for an out before Washington Nationals' Michael Busch (12) can reach first base during the third inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher David Peterson throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Chicago Cubs' Alex Bregman, left, runs the bases and celebrates his home run with third base coach Quintin Berry (0) hit off of Washington Nationals pitcher Orlando Ribalta during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Chicago Cubs' Alex Bregman (3) is greeted in the dugout by teammates after scoring a run on a sacrifice fly hit by Nico Hoerner off of Washington Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin during the second inning of a baseball game in Washington, Tuesday, Aug 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — First responders rescued more people from floodwaters Wednesday as utility crews cleared trees and wires downed by severe storms in the Midwest that unleashed tornadoes, heavy rains and flash flooding, leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without electricity.
A 4-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on a home in Geneva, Indiana, during Tuesday's storms, the Jennings County Sheriff's Office said. In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine said a resident of Roseville died during a health emergency when first responders, faced with flooded roads, couldn’t reach them. Officials in Portage, Indiana, were investigating whether the severe weather played a role in a reported house explosion that killed a person.
Lightning struck a prison complex southwest of Cleveland on Tuesday, injuring 16 incarcerated people who were hospitalized, according to the Ohio Department of Corrections. DeWine said four remained hospitalized as of Wednesday, including one with severe injuries.
Storm damage was reported from the Chicago area all the way to western Pennsylvania. Three tornadoes in counties south of Chicago were confirmed by the National Weather Service.
Flood warnings on Wednesday stretched from northern Illinois to eastern Indiana, and there were flash flood watches from Indiana to parts of Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee, the weather service said.
“Severe thunderstorm and heavy rainfall threats continue across the Plains, Midwest, Ohio Valley, and central Appalachians the next couple of days,” it said.
Authorities in Ohio and western Pennsylvania reported numerous water rescues. DeWine sent 40 Ohio Army National Guard members to help in two counties east of Columbus and he said dozens of local departments also responded to help, including from West Virginia.
Floodwaters barged into Kaitlyn Rodgers’ home in Crooksville, Ohio, early Tuesday morning, reaching knee deep as it stranded her and her husband and four children. With the currents too strong to make it out themselves, they were rescued by firefighters in a boat in the predawn darkness.
“Water just started pouring into the house,” she said. “Because of my house being very old, when the water was coming up I was very worried about the electric outlets that were on the floor, because there was water literally coming out of them, so I was afraid that my children were going to get shocked.”
In Athens County, Ohio, nearly 300 people called 911 for help on Tuesday, including 42 involving vehicles stuck in floods, with more calls Wednesday as high waters flowed toward the Ohio River, said the emergency management director, Teresa Fouts-Imler.
DeWine surveyed the hardest hit areas by helicopter on Wednesday and called the extent of the flooding “stunning.”
“These communities have been hit exceedingly hard in a historic way,” DeWine said during an afternoon news conference from Perry County. “They’ve been hit before with water challenges, but this is certainly the worst.”
More than 650,000 customers were without power Wednesday afternoon in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, according to poweroutage.us.
Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric Power was still surveying the damage but had already identified more than 100 broken poles, some 650 downed wire spans and another 85 entangled with trees. About 76,000 of its customers remained without power, even after crews had restored electricity for 135,000, it said Wednesday.
To give Ohio's capital city time to grapple with power outages and cleanup, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther declared an emergency Wednesday.
Photos posted on social media from the Chicago area and across the state line in Indiana showed flooded roads, trees tangled in power lines and homes with gashes in their roofs.
“No power. It was very scary. We were down in the basement,” said Javid Jenkins of Homewood, a Chicago suburb. “We’re built for snow. We’re built for cold. We’re not built for this.”
Jenkins, 54, was driving around for gas to fire up a generator to preserve food in his refrigerator.
Forecasters said a wind gust of 99 mph (159 kph) was recorded in Gary, Indiana. Elsewhere there were numerous reports of gusts of 80 mph (128 kph) or more at personal weather stations.
Preliminary information indicated that the intense system that swept from Iowa into Indiana over several hours qualified as a derecho, the weather service's Storm Prediction Center said Tuesday evening. Derechos are prolonged straight-line windstorms that unleash heavy rainfall and travel far. The damage they cause is sometimes comparable to the destructive forces of tornadoes or hurricanes.
“Total devastation. No roof,” said Kerry Hourigan, standing outside her home of 25 years in Tinley Park, another Chicago suburb. “Stupid thing, but my focus was I just bought a new barbecue grill, and I have no idea where that is. It’s disappeared.”
Dayton, Ohio, set a daily rainfall record with 2.07 inches (5.25 cm), shattering a mark set in 1915, the weather service said.
Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta and John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed.
A car is destroyed and homes damaged by part of an oak tree downed by severe storms Tuesday, is seen in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Flood waters cover several yards in Crooksville, Ohio, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Remaining floodwater covers a portion of Roseville, Ohio, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Jim Koehler works with a chain saw to remove an oak tree damaged by severe storms on Tuesday, in his daughter's front yard in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Crews work along Race Road among trees and power lines downed by severe storms on Tuesday, to restore power in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Trees downed by severe storms from Tuesday, block access to a home and close parts of Main Street of Newtown Village in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
A person inspects damage to homes from trees downed by severe storms on Tuesday, in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
In this image made from video, damage caused by a strong storm is seen a home in Tinley Park, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)
A home is damaged after a storm in Tinley Park, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)
In this image made from video, a roof is damaged after a strong storm in Tinley Park, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)
Storm clouds move in over Paycor Stadium and practice fields during the Cincinnati Bengals' NFL football practice in Cincinnati, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Kerry Hourigan speaks on the phone after reviewing damage a storm caused to her home in Tinley Park, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)
