Sports
Cubs' Dansby Swanson brings historic RBI surge into series vs. Cards
Jun 30, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) hits a two-run home run against the San Diego Padres during the fifth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Dansby Swanson isn’t putting too much stock into his individual accomplishments. However, he is reveling in the fact that his recent video-game numbers have contributed to the Chicago Cubs’ winning ways.
Swanson will look to continue his torrid stretch on Friday as the Cubs open a three-game series against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
Swanson highlighted his three-homer, eight-RBI performance on Wednesday with a grand slam in the eighth inning of Chicago’s 23-3 romp over the San Diego Padres.
He has driven in 26 runs over his past 10 games. The only other players who knocked in at least that many runs over a 10-game span since RBIs became an official stat in 1920 are Hall of Famers Mel Ott (1929), Lou Gehrig (1930 and 1931), Jimmie Foxx (1933) and Joe DiMaggio (1939), per MLB.com.
“I think at the end of the day the coolest part about it is RBI helps teams win games, and we’re doing that really well right now as a group,” Swanson said after the Cubs’ fifth win in a row and 15th in 19 games.
“So whatever it takes for the group to succeed is all that matters to me, and it will continue to be that way until one day they won’t let me play this game anymore.”
For all of his recent success, Swanson is batting just .210 on the season. He went 0-for-16 in the four games prior to the San Diego series, during which he went 8-for-13 with five homers, 11 RBIs and seven runs.
Swanson struggled against the Cardinals during a series in late May, going 1-for-9 with four strikeouts and no RBIs. St. Louis won two of the three contests.
Chicago left-hander David Peterson (4-6, 5.86 ERA) will get the start on Friday opposite St. Louis right-hander Andre Pallante (9-5, 3.83).
Peterson pitched well in his first start since being acquired from the New York Mets, allowing two runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings en route to an 8-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.
Peterson, 30, was shelled in his last encounter with the Cardinals, yielding six runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings on June 10. Overall, he has a 9.00 ERA without a decision in two career appearances (one start) against St. Louis.
Pallante was 5-0 in his previous six starts before surrendering five runs on 11 hits in 6 2/3 innings during a 5-1 setback to the Miami Marlins on Saturday.
His lone no-decision since early April came against the Cubs on May 29, when he yielded four runs on eight hits in three innings. Pallante, 27, is 0-4 with a 5.12 ERA in 13 career appearances (six starts) vs. Chicago.
St. Louis likely will need Pallante to work deep into the game after the team’s bullpen was taxed by Dustin May exiting two outs into the Thursday contest against the Atlanta Braves due to an ankle injury. The Cardinals’ relievers picked up May by combining to scatter three hits over 8 1/3 scoreless innings in an 11-5 win.
Jordan Walker belted a three-run homer in the first inning and added an RBI single in the seventh for St. Louis, which has won three of its past four games.
“Unreal,” Walker said, according to MLB.com. “We showed what we can do as an offense. On the pitching side, hell of a job for them to lock it in and the bullpen come in a tough situation.”
Walker went 1-for-11 with two strikeouts and no RBIs in the previous series against the Cubs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Banged-up and skidding Padres to battle Shohei Ohtani-less Dodgers
Jun 19, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen walks back to the dugout during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images The San Diego Padres will be in survival mode when they take a season-high seven-game losing streak into Saturday night’s road contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Padres not only are losing ground to the Dodgers in the standings, their roster has been taking a hit on a daily basis.
San Diego placed catcher Freddy Fermin (head contusion) and right-handed starter Randy Vasquez (ankle contusion) on the injured list Friday. Those moves came one day after right-handed reliever Jason Adam (shoulder) was placed on the IL.
Right-handers Jeremiah Estrada and David Morgan already are on the IL for the Padres, who will face a Dodgers team that will be without two-way star Shohei Ohtani (right biceps soreness) on Saturday.
San Diego is a season-high 14 games behind National League West-leading Los Angeles after leading by a half-game as recently as May 18. The Padres’ seven-game losing streak is their longest since the 2021 season.
“It’s tough on everybody, It’s tough on the team, it’s tough on the individuals that it happens to,” manager Craig Stammen said of the injuries, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “But also, we know that we’ve got a collective unit that can band together.
“We’re making that foxhole tight, and using it as a viewpoint of, like, this is testing us. And what comes from testing? We think perseverance, determination and resilience.”
Padres right-hander Griffin Canning (1-5, 7.09 ERA) could use some resilience. He will make his first start in July after posting a 6.98 ERA in five June appearances.
In seven career starts against the Dodgers, Canning is 3-1 with a 3.89 ERA.
The Dodgers will counter with right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-5, 2.67), who is still working on finding success against the Padres.
Yamamoto’s 4.60 ERA against them is the highest among the five clubs he has made at least three regular-season starts against. He did earn a win against the Padres last Saturday when he gave up two runs on five hits over six innings.
It has been the offense that has led the way for the Dodgers lately. They rallied from a six-run deficit to win the series opener 12-7 on Thursday, then overcame a 3-0 deficit in the seventh inning Friday on a grand slam from Teoscar Hernandez to win 4-3.
It was Hernandez’s first home run in four games since returning this week from a hamstring injury.
“We never feel like we’re down,” Hernandez said on the SportsNet LA broadcast. “We know what we’re capable of, and we know the team we have. It only takes a good at-bat to get on base and somebody is going to take a big swing, and in this case it was me.”
Hernandez delivered against one of the Padres’ best relievers in left-hander Adrian Morejon, who was an All-Star last season and entered Friday’s outing with a 3.32 ERA in 39 appearances.
Ohtani went 0-for-3 at the plate on Friday and pitched six innings, giving up three runs and seven hits and acknowledging afterward he was dealing with the biceps soreness that was similar to the short-lived ailment he felt earlier this season.
“I can always play, and my desire is to always play,” Ohtani said through an interpreter when asked if he would be in the lineup Saturday. “I feel good enough to be able to do so.”
The Dodgers shut down that idea after the game, however, and said he would have the night off.
The Dodgers have won nine of their past 11 games while going 4-1 against the Padres in that stretch. Los Angeles is 6-2 against San Diego this season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (biceps) to sit Saturday vs. Padres
Jul 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) walks off the mound following the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani will not play Saturday night against the San Diego Padres because of tightness to his right biceps.
With the best record in MLB and a 14-game lead in the National League West, the Dodgers can afford to give their designated hitter/pitcher a chance to rest and recover.
Ohtani left Los Angeles’ 4-3 win in the seventh inning after he reported that he felt the biceps tighten up after taking a swing an inning earlier.
He told reporters after the game that he was faced with a similar issue earlier in the season and that he healed “relatively quickly.”
Manager Dave Roberts agreed.
“He’s dealt with it before,” Roberts said. “He’s a quick healer and finds a way to get back. But I do think that for us to read and react and hear what his body is telling him is really important, given the toll it takes on his body to be a two-way player.”
Ohtani was the starting pitcher against the Padres on Friday and, working on nine days’ rest, threw a season-high 110 pitches. He gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings, striking out nine.
He was 0-for-3 at the plate.
On the season, Ohtani is batting .288 with 18 home runs and 50 runs driven in. As he pitcher, he has an 8-2 record and a 1.79 ERA. He has thrown 85 2/3 innings over 14 starts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Maple Leafs sign RFA D Emil Andrae to 2-year contract
Apr 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae (36) watches a scoreboard replay as he enters the penalty box on a tripping infraction against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period in game five of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Toronto Maple Leafs signed restricted free agent defenseman Emil Andrae to a two-year contract on Sunday morning.
Financial terms were not disclosed by the team, however TSN reported the value of the deal at $3.1 million.
The Maple Leafs acquired Andrae, goaltender Samuel Ersson and a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Philadelphia Flyers on June 16 in exchange for defenseman Simon Benoit and netminder Joseph Woll.
Andrae, 24, recorded 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 61 games last season while finishing his three-year, entry-level contract.
A second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Andrae has tallied 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) in 107 games since making his Flyers debut in October 2023.
–Field Level Media
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Banged-up and skidding Padres to battle Shohei Ohtani-less Dodgers
