3 Takeaways After Alex Bregman's Career Night Helps Cubs Crush Nationals

Alex Bregman, take a bow!

The Chicago Cubs' third baseman had a career game, hitting 3 home runs for the first time in his career and also driving in a career-best 7 runs.

Bregman's big night led to the Cubs (71-50) defeating the Washington Nationals (59-63) 12-6 in Washington, D.C. With the win, the Cubs clinched their 9th consecutive road series win. And after a night where the Cubs used five arms to secure the win, David Peterson and Javier Assad combined for the full 9 innings of work.

But the story tonight was Bregman and the Cubs' bats, scoring all 12 of their runs in the 5th inning or later, pulling out their 37th comeback win of the season. And the win tonight comes on the heels of a Padres walk-off win over the Brewers, which means the Cubs now sit only three games back of first place in the NL Central!

Bregman getting hot at the right time

Aug 11, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman (3) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Alex Bregman's second half has been incredible. He's almost an entirely different player at the plate right now. Of course, that's easy to say after a three-homer game and a 7-RBI night from the veteran 3B, but Bregman has been quietly heating up for a while now.

Right before the All-Star break, Bregman had a 3-hit night in an 8-4 win vs the Reds. Since that outing, he's slashed .307/.369/.545 with 5 home runs and 17 RBI. And those numbers are before Bregman left the yard three times on Wednesday!

ALEX BREGMAN THREE-HOMER NIGHT.

WE REPEAT, ALEX BREGMAN THREE-HOMER NIGHT. pic.twitter.com/fLNUPhTKIi
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 13, 2026

The Cubs' offense had 13 hits total, keeping pace with the Nationals, who are living up to the reputation as the league's best run-scoring team. Dansby Swanson hit his 18th home run of the season, and both Seiya Suzuki & Pete Crow-Armstrong had clutch RBI hits, as well.

Craig Counsell talked about his veteran 3B driving the bus in postgame.

"(Bregman) definitely drove the bus today ... you can't fake it through 162 games ... it's a credit to how he works every single day. Just relentless with his search to be himself and to be the best version of himself. He will never give you an inch on that."

Craig Counsell on… pic.twitter.com/YFlAj0J6sh
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 13, 2026

Bregman's track record is shining through right now as the 32-year-old is playing his best ball in a Cubs uniform at such a crucial moment for the team. This is why the Cubs brought him to the North Side.

Counsell and his out-getters

Aug 9, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya (9) slaps hands with Chicago Cubs pitcher Javier Assad (72) after the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Craig Counsell typically refers to his pitchers as out-getters when he puts together the game plan for each series. Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy has referred to the process as fun, working through how each pitcher can fit into pockets of the game throughout a series.

Tonight, David Peterson went 5 innings before Javier Assad cleaned up the remaining 4 innings as the two "starters" put away the Nationals. Peterson only ran into some trouble during the 5th after an initial Cubs double-play was challenged and won by the Nationals. It kept the inning alive and led to the Nats scratching across 3 runs and tying the game 4-4.

Peterson still finished the night with 6 K's, but the three walks and 9 hits left something to be desired. Assad came in and played the role of fireman, earning the 4-inning save, and minus two solo home runs, he did the job and notched his second save of the year.

Washington has been a good test for the Cubs' arms. They have a lot of young bats, but they're scrappy and remain in counts. They've made the Cubs work, and it's a good litmus test for what the postseason will be like for guys like Assad and Peterson.

Seiya Suzuki is having a special season

Aug 11, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman (3) celebrates with Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki (27) after their game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Let's give Seiya Suzuki his flowers! He is turning in one of the best all-around seasons we've seen from a Cub in a long time (minus PCA, of course). He's playing gold-glove caliber defense in right field, slugging like always, and only coming up big more and more in this second half.

Suzuki's bumped his OPS from .811 to .944, while his walk rate has jumped from 10.2% to 17.1% – all while increasing his hard-hit percentage to 37.7%. He's mashing baseballs right now, and with a slight increase in his fly ball percentage, Suzuki is creating more extra-base hits.

It helps that he's hitting between PCA and Bregman at the moment, but it's easy to see why the Cubs' offense has been so good with these three at the top of their lineup.

PCA 🤝 Alex Bregman 🤝 Seiya Suzuki pic.twitter.com/COzw4vFMSQ
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 13, 2026

You don't want to look too far ahead, but there's a good chance Suzuki's current season, along with a weak free agency class, could price him out of the Cubs' budget next season.

And with the state of the Cubs' rotation after this year a large question mark, it's also safe to assume Jed Hoyer and the Cubs brass will be focused on rebuilding the pitching staff. Suzuki may be playing his final season for the Cubs while also performing his best as a Cub.

Cubs go for sweep in midday getaway game

The Cubs will send Kevin Gausman in the series finale tomorrow in his second start for the Cubs, facing Cade Cavalli for the Nationals.

Gausman went 7 innings in his Cubs debut vs the Royals and has a 4.12 ERA in his last 7 starts. It also helps that the Nationals haven't seen Gausman since 2024, and only CJ Abrams has multiple plate appearances against him. It could be another fun Gausman start tomorrow!

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