Wednesday, July 02

Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season. MLB.com’s David Adler is pinch-hitting on this week’s edition. 

NEW YORK -- Dansby Swanson's dad strength is going to be incredible if this is his soon-to-be-dad strength.  

Swanson and his wife, soccer star Mallory Swanson, are expecting their first child. And now Dansby is starting to slug home runs.  

The sports power couple announced Mallory's pregnancy on Instagram on Wednesday. Both of them felt like the time was right. A few days later -- during Mother's Day weekend, no less -- Swanson belted a long home run to power the Cubs to a win over the Mets at Citi Field on Saturday.  

So it's been quite the week for the Cubs' star shortstop.  

"It's just been such a cool week. It really has been," Swanson said on Mother's Day. "It's really, really been a blessing and a treat to be able to be showered with love from other people, and just be able to share our joy with other people."  

Swanson, who of course has known the news for a little longer than the public has, is starting to heat up around the announcement. He's hit four homers in his last dozen games and is batting .415 over this stretch. 

Dansby might be an All-Star shortstop, but Mallory has won a World Cup and an Olympic gold with the U.S. Women's National Team, in addition to playing forward for Chicago Stars FC in the National Women's Soccer League.  

Both of them have been getting a huge outpouring of support since the announcement. 

"We've just been blessed with so many good people in our lives, whether it's friends or family, our teammates, all different people," Swanson said. "For both of us, there's been so much love and goodness being thrown our way. We definitely can feel that, and we're very thankful for it." 

With the Cubs on the road in New York, he's been thinking of Mallory while he's mashing homers. Especially on Mother's Day, with Mallory now a soon-to-be mom. They can celebrate with Dansby and the Cubs back in Chicago this week.    

"She's already got mom instincts," Swanson said. "Being able to come back home to her is going to be more than enough for both of us."  

Both Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker have 10 or more home runs and 10 or more stolen bases through the Cubs' first 41 games of 2025. How many other Cubs players have had 10 homers and 10 steals through 41 games in a season? 

A. Zero 

B. One 

C. Two 

D. Three 

Ryan Pressly pitched Friday for the first time since his disastrous 11th inning against the Giants on Tuesday, when he allowed nine runs (eight earned) on five hits and one walk without recording an out.

But it wasn't in the ninth inning, or extras, or in any high-pressure situation. It was in the sixth inning, with the Cubs trailing the Mets 6-1 at Citi Field.  

Pressly hadn't pitched in the sixth inning or earlier in a regular-season game since 2018. That's seven years ago. He's been a closer or setup man ever since. This season, after the Cubs acquired him in January, Pressly had pitched exclusively in the ninth inning or later.  

Things changed in this weekend's series against the Mets. When there were high-leverage outs to be gotten, the Cubs turned to Porter Hodge, Daniel Palencia, Julian Merryweather and Brad Keller, all of whom pitched in the seventh inning or later of close games on Saturday and Sunday.   

Pressly did have a bounce-back outing when he pitched in the series opener, throwing a scoreless inning that included a strikeout of Mets star slugger Pete Alonso. He picked up a few swings-and-misses on his fastball, too, which he hasn't been able to get much of this season, even when pitching well.  

So there were some positive signs. But the Cubs won't yet say when, or if, Pressly will return to a late-inning role.  

"Just trying to get him back on track," manager Craig Counsell said Friday. 

Chicago Cubs player Brad Keller (right) joins (right to left) Cubs Charities assistant director of charities and community affairs Jen Dedes Nowak, Cubs Charities executive director Lea Jesse and Cubs president Crane Kenney to celebrate community partners receiving their share of $1.8 million in Cubs Charities grants on May 5. (Photo courtesy of Cubs Charities)

Last week at Wrigley Field, 86 nonprofit organizations received their share of $1.8 million in Cubs Charities grants for a wide range of programs and projects around the city. The grants and donations project to impact more than 322,000 youth and families in Chicago. 

“Cubs Charities selects organizations that are known in their communities for providing grass-roots programs and resources that help Chicago’s youth thrive,” Cubs Charities executive director Lea Jesse said in a release. “In these uncertain economic times, Cubs Charities is honored to be a trusted resource for organizations across Chicago.” 

Cubs Charities’ annual grants are made through the Cubs Charities Community Fund, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, the Cubs Charities Diamond Project and All-Star School donations. 

The Cubs recently announced a wave of new gate giveaways and special ticket offers added to the ‘25 promotional schedule. That includes a trio of new bobbleheads being handed out at Wrigley Field later this season: Dansby and Mallory Swanson (Aug. 17 vs. Pirates), Seiya Suzuki (Sept. 13 vs. Rays) and Bill Murray (Sept. 14 vs. Rays). Be sure to check out the full slate of promos at Cubs.com. 

• Cade Horton's stuff -- and guts -- on display in winning MLB debut. Read more >>

• Crow-Armstrong's 10th HR of 2025 is his 1st against the team that traded him. Read more >>

• 10 Mother's Day stories that make us thankful for moms. Read more >> 

"Honestly, probably the bus getting stuck in traffic. I won't forget that. My gosh." -- Horton, on moments he'll remember from his MLB debut in New York

B. One

Sammy Sosa had 11 home runs and 10 stolen bases through the Cubs' first 41 games in 1995.

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