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
Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina knocked out at Wimbledon
Jul 2, 2026; London, United Kingdom; Iga Swiatek (POL) hits a forehand against Karolina Pliskova (CZE) (not pictured) on day four of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Defending champion Iga Swiatek and 2022 winner Elena Rybakina fell in stunning upsets in the third round Saturday at Wimbledon.
Poland’s Swiatek, the No. 3 seed, was ousted 7-6 (9), 6-2 by up-and-comer Alexandra Eala, the No. 29 seed. Belgium’s Elise Mertens shocked No. 2 seed Rybakina, 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Rybakina won the Australian Open in January and hoped to add to her Grand Slam collection this season. She was bounced in the second round of the French Open by Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva in May.
Mertens, the No. 25 seed, entered the match with a 1-7 record against Kazakhstan’s Rybakina.
“I have no words actually,” Mertens said in her on-court interview. “I’m very happy I won that first set and kept the momentum going. She’s an incredible player. She’s won Wimbledon in the past. A really tough opponent.”
Mertens is a 10-time winner on the WTA Tour. Her best finish in a Grand Slam event came in 2018 in Australia in the quarterfinals.
It was the first top-10 win on grass for Mertens, who will meet No. 21 Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic in the next round. Bouzkova rallied for a 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 win against Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova.
The 21-year-old Eala saved two set points in the 84-minute opening set. She improved to 2-1 against Swiatek and is now 7-4 against top-10 opponents. Eala also became the first woman from the Philippines to reach the second week of a Grand Slam.
Eala advanced to a fourth-round clash with No. 13 seed Italian Jasmine Paolini, a 2024 finalist at the All England Club. Paolini cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Greece’s Maria Sakkari.
No. 12 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine held off No. 23 Emma Navarro 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 and Ashlyn Krueger eliminated Ukraine’s Daria Snigur 6-3, 6-2.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Fourth of July Best MLB Betting Picks and Predictions
Jul 3, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Ben Williamson (15) tags out Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) during the fourth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images The Independence Day MLB card is loaded with plenty of intriguing matchups on a busy Saturday.
The Chicago Cubs (49-39) look to bounce back from Friday’s 17-1 home loss to the St. Louis Cardinals (46-39). The two NL Central rivals hook up at 8:05 p.m. ET from Wrigley Field.
Later on, the Los Angeles Dodgers (58-31) seek their third consecutive victory over the San Diego Padres (43-44) after rallying from multi-run deficits in each of the first two wins. These two teams close the night at Dodger Stadium at 10:10 p.m. ET.
We’ll break down two plays for the Saturday action. Remember to monitor the odds throughout the day, as the sides and totals market is constantly changing.
Here are the free MLB picks for Saturday, July 4. Odds Courtesy of DraftKings.
Best MLB plays today
- Astros (-110) vs. Rays
- Orioles/Reds Over 9 Runs
Astros (-110) vs. Rays – 7:10 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay (52-33) is riding a nine-game winning streak after holding off Houston (43-47) last night, 3-1. The Astros suffered back-to-back losses for the first time since mid-June as they try to rebound tonight with ace Hunter Brown on the mound.
Since returning from injury, Brown has allowed a total of four earned runs in three starts. The Astros have won two of three outings, capped off by an extra-innings victory at Detroit on June 28. Brown has held current Tampa Bay hitters to a .129 batting average in 31 plate appearances.
Tampa Bay’s pitching has carried them during this hot stretch, limiting opponents to three or fewer runs eight times. The Rays are 3-4 in Drew Rasmussen’s seven starts when priced at lower than -110 or in the underdog role. Let’s back the Astros to end Tampa Bay’s winning streak.
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Orioles/Reds Over 9 Runs – 7:10 p.m. ET
Baltimore blanked Cincinnati last night, 3-0 as the Reds were held to four hits. Cincinnati has seen the under hit in three of its past four home games, but look to turn things around tonight in Hunter Greene’s season debut on the mound.
The hard-throwing right-hander returns from an elbow injury, making his first start since last September. He faces a Baltimore team that cashed the over in five of its previous six games against right-handed starting pitchers prior to Friday’s low-scoring affair.
Baltimore’s Brandon Young has given up six earned runs in his past four outings, but his xERA (4.24) is over a run higher than his ERA (3.11). The Orioles own the highest hard-hit rate in MLB at 42.6, while Greene closed last season at 45% in this category, ranking in the 15th percentile.
Look for runs to be scored tonight at Great American Ballpark between the Reds and Orioles.
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Sports
France ready to deal with heat in match vs. Paraguay
France forward Kylian Mbappé (10) and France defender Dayot Upamecano (4) high-five after drafting Sweden 3-0 during a 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 match between France and Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in East Rutherford, NJ. PHILADELPHIA — France manager Didier Deschamps believes he knows what to expect from the extreme heat forecast for Saturday’s World Cup round of 16 clash with Paraguay after attending matches at last year’s Club World Cup.
Highs are forecast around 100 degrees Fahrenheit with significant humidity, with the peak temperatures expected an hour or two before the 5 p.m. ET kickoff.
Similar heat impacted numerous matches at last year’s club tournament also hosted in the United States.
“I was with (assistant coach) Guy Stéphan at the final and semi-final of the Club World Cup,” Deshcamps said on Friday through an interpreter. “We were in the stadium. We could discuss. We saw that it was quite hot, and we could discuss. And it did have an impact.
“Now, is this good for the players’ health as soon as there are extreme conditions, whether it’s heat or cold or hard pitch? It’s not ideal.
“But we didn’t choose, so we adapt and we anticipate.”
Deschamps also reflected on the last time these sides met in a competitive fixture, when he played all 120 minutes of a 1-0 win over Paraguay in the round of 16 on France’s march to the 1998 World Cup title.
He suggested Saturday’s task could be as tough as that match, decided by Laurent Blanc’s 114th-minute winner.
“It was a very good time for France. It was a very tough game. This is part of the history of football and the World Cup,” he said.
“This match tomorrow is different. It is a different team. It is a Paraguayan team who really wants to do it and they have quality.
“(Julio) Enciso, for example, has had a very good season with Strasbourg in France. He is a player with lots of influence in his team. Him and (Miguel) Almiron are players with great technical quality.”
With oddsmakers heavily backing the two-time World Champions from the start of the tournament, midfielder Desire Doue insisted Les Bleus won’t change their approach nor overlook an Albirroja side most expected to lose to Germany in the previous round.
“We have no pressure,” he said through an interpreter. “We’re playing games after games. We are focused on ourselves. There are a lot of qualities.
“We have been the favorite before the competition started. We will be the favorite for tomorrow. But I do not believe that these (statuses) will help us win a game.
“It’s not that that will help us win. We will need to be perfect from the first to the last minute. We’ll have to be there.”
Doue admitted he expected heat to impact performance.
“Well, yes, we are wasting a lot of energy,” he said. “We are sweating more, wasting more water. We might lose some lucidity on the pitch. We arrived in the US. It was hot. Today, it’s hotter. And so be it tomorrow.
“Both teams will experience the same conditions, and we are fully ready for this game.”
–Ian Nicholas Qullen, Field Level Media
Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina knocked out at Wimbledon
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