Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

Big Ten play on Thursday will see the the Purdue Boilermakers (12-13) host the No. 13 Iowa Hawkeyes (20-5) at Mackey Arena, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. In its previous game, Purdue defeated Rutgers on Saturday, 72-57. Kiki Smith scored a team-high 17 points (and chipped in six assists and two boards). In its most recent game, Iowa defeated Nebraska on Monday, 80-67. Its top scorer was Ava Heiden with 27 points.

The Washington Wizards (14-39) are underdogs (+3.5) in their attempt to stop a three-game losing streak when they host the Indiana Pacers (15-40) at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 19, 2026 at Capital One Arena. The matchup airs on FDSIN and MNMT. The over/under is set at 233.5 in the matchup. Before you place an informed wager on the matchup, take a look at the best bets available for Thursday's game according to our computer predictions.

Machado spent the majority of that time in the minors. He played nearly 1300 minor league games, more than half of which came at the Triple-A level. The Venezuelan-born infielder had a four-year MLB run with the Tigers between 2015-18. He spent the '19 campaign in the Cubs' system before moving to Korea as a member of the Lotte Giants for two seasons.

Carlos Alcaraz (No. 1 ranking) will face Karen Khachanov (No. 17) in the quarterfinals at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Thursday, February 19. Alcaraz is favored (-1408) in this matchup, compared to the underdog Khachanov, who is +700. Qatar ExxonMobil Open Info Tournament: The Qatar ExxonMobil Open Round: Quarterfinals Date: Thursday, February 19 Venue: Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex Location: Doha, Qatar Court Surface: Hard

If you enjoy good hockey, Wednesday was one helluva day at the Olympics! The quarterfinals of the men's hockey tournament rolled off and gave us drama after drama after drama. The first game of the day - before many of us were out of bed - saw Slovakia smoke Germany 6-2. The other three games on the Olympics slate didn't match that four-goal differential combined.

Actual Cubs baseball is only two days away, even if it is just a glorified scrimmage. I'm still trying to find a way to get out to spring training this year, but a pesky jury duty summons is mucking up my plans. Maybe I'll just have to take a little extra PTO and go earlier than initially planned. For some reason, I find it difficult to make time for myself with stuff like this.

Both Schwellenbach, 25, and Waldrep, 23, were known to have issues with the elbows before today's announcement, so Braves fans may not be freaking out as much as it would seem from the outside. Still, each young righty was outstanding in a partial big league season in 2025, and was expected to be a major contributor this year to a very good Braves team.

Celebrate the middle of the week with a BetMGM bonus code. You get up to $1,500 paid back in bonus bets if you lose your first wager on any game. Claim Your BetMGM Bonus Code BLEACHNEWS You can use the BetMGM bonus code BLEACHNEWS for this offer. On your first bet, you can wager up to $1,500. If you lose, BetMGM Sportsbook will pay you back in bonus bets. Download BetMGM Sportsbook. Enter BLEACHNEWS. You have to be 21+. Allow geolocation on your device. Make a deposit. Make a wager up to $1,500. If you happen to lose, get bonus bets.

The Lipscomb Bisons (9-16) host the West Georgia Wolves (16-9) in ASUN play at Allen Arena, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. In its most recent game, Lipscomb fell to Queens (NC) on Saturday, 70-66. Its leading scorer was Molly Heard with 28 points. West Georgia won its most recent game against Austin Peay, 95-74, on Saturday. Sydne Tolbert starred with 30 points, plus two boards and four assists.

The Washington State Cougars (11-16, 6-8 WCC) will attempt to stop a three-game losing streak when they host the Pacific Tigers (17-11, 8-7 WCC) on February 18, 2026 at Beasley Coliseum. In its previous game, Washington State fell to Gonzaga on Tuesday, 83-53. Its high scorer was Jerone Morton with 15 points. On Saturday, in its most recent game, Pacific fell to Saint Mary's (CA) 72-61. With 17 points, Elias Ralph was its leading scorer.

Last time out, Rutgers fell short in a 76-56 loss versus Illinois. The Scarlet Knights were led by Faith Blackstone, who ended the game with 13 points, while Nene Ndiaye added 10 points and four assists. With a final score of 81-71, Penn State defeated Northwestern the last time out. Kiyomi McMiller led the team (32 PTS, 12 REB, 6 STL, 52.38 FG%).

The Cubs will get their small waiver fee from the Blue Jays, and Cowles gets a 40-man spot with the Blue Jays - who may ultimately DFA him later on and try, themselves, to sneak him through waivers. The goal being that you'd get to keep Cowles on what is effectively a minor league deal for 2026, and he would not take up a 40-man spot. All the best to him on however that winds up playing out.

With 17 shots on goal resulting in eight goals, Pulisic is AC Milan's top offensive player this season. Another major contributor for AC Milan is Rafael Leao. He has seven goals and 15 shots on goal. While not a scoring leader, Luka Modric has still been a top contributor. He has created a team-leading 30 chances in 23 games, resulting in three assists.

Philon, a big combo guard, has been enjoying a breakout sophomore season in 2025-26. Through 24 bouts with Alabama, he's averaging 21.3 points while slashing .507/.396/.777, 4.9 dimes, 3.5 boards, and 1.3 swipes per game. He's expected to be a mid-to-late lottery selection, meaning he'll be right within the Bulls' striking range. But would Chicago really want to add another ball-dominant guard next to incumbent starting point guard Josh Giddey, who's still just 23 and has room to grow? That remains to be seen.

Giddey has been in the midst of his best season as a pro, averaging 18.6 points while slashing .462/.366/.775, along with 8.8 assists, 8.6 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 34 healthy bouts (31 starts). His health probably stopped him from having at least a chance at cracking the Eastern Conference coaches' reserves list for this year's surprisingly watchable All-Star Game.

We know that, after the arrival of Alex Bregman at third base, the Chicago Cubs have been planning to utilize Matt Shaw in a super utility role for the 2026 team. We know from some of the best Cubs teams in recent memory, it's a very valuable player to have available, if he can pull off the significant demands. Not only must the player perform throughout the season at multiple defensive spots with all the different throws and footwork