Monday, April 13

Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season.

CHICAGO -- As soon as Dansby Swanson reached third base, the veteran Cubs shortstop looked quickly to his left to find the baseball. He saw Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe scrambling off the bag in pursuit of an errant throw. 

It was a key eighth-inning moment in the Cubs’ 7-6 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field, and one of two heads-up baserunning decisions by Swanson that proved crucial to the win. He hustled home, sliding across the plate headfirst and then popping to his feet with a howl and an emphatic kick of the air as the crowd roared. 

“Dansby’s just an incredible athlete,” Cubs starter Jameson Taillon said. “He’s got a lot of baseball savvy. He’s a good ballplayer. He knows the game. He’s got great feel. Not super surprised.” 

That play by Swanson began with him standing on first base with Michael Busch pinch-hitting and the Cubs trailing the Pirates, 6-4. With two outs, Busch slashed a pitch from Justin Lawrence into left field to easily score Seiya Suzuki from second base. Swanson trailed Suzuki to third before scanning the field. 

Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds fired the ball in, but wildly beyond Lowe’s reach. That gave Swanson his opening. 

“Had a funny saying in Spring Training,” Swanson quipped after the win. “I always said, ‘If you need the base coaches to tell you what to do, you stink at baserunning.’ My whole life, it was just being taught to run with your eyes up, run with your eyes on the ball.” 

That run pulled the game into a 6-6 tie and paved the way for Carson Kelly’s walk-off single in the ninth. Going back an inning earlier, Swanson’s alert running in the seventh also led to a critical run in Chicago’s comeback. 

With one out and the bases loaded, Alex Bregman skied a pitch from Hunter Barco high over Lowe, who tracked it into shallow right field. With Wrigley’s wind blowing hard out to right, the second baseman tumbled to the grass while making the grab. It was deemed an out via the infield-fly rule, but Swanson said he was ready for a catch or Lowe dropping the ball. He tagged up and scored with ease. 

“Baserunning, we talk about it all the time,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “There’s risk involved, right? And you’ve got to take the right chances, and you want to take the right chances. … On the sac fly, he understands the conditions here and that no pop fly is routine. And a guy gets on his heels and falls over because he’s trying to make the play and it’s a run. That’s everything. That’s everything.” 

Heading into Sunday’s action, the Cubs ranked third in the Majors as a team with 2.1 baserunning runs above average, trailing only the Marlins (4.1) and the Brewers (3.2). Running the bases -- beyond just steals -- was also a strength for Chicago in 2025, when the team ranked third in MLB with 11.0 BsR. 

“If you want to find a way to win a game at Wrigley Field, things can get weird,” Taillon said. “That’s hopefully something we take advantage of. A fielder goes to the ground, trying to stay with a pretty high popup, and Dansby just has the feel to tag up and score. I thought we were really good at home last year and I think we can use this place as an advantage. That’s just an example of it.” 

Swanson also thinks baserunning is an area the Cubs can continue to excel this season. 

“I think it’s kind of a lost art in our game,” Swanson said. “When you do the fundamentals well, it allows for instincts to show up because you are so consistent. You practice any and all scenarios, and that’s the fun part. Baserunning is probably the most fun part of playing, other than winning. Today, we were able to do both.” 

Second baseman Nico Hoerner leads Chicago with 18 hits through 15 games so far this season. Which Cubs batter holds the team record for most hits in March-April in a single season? 

A. Derrek Lee

B. Starlin Castro

C. Mark Grace

D. Sammy Sosa

• Jed Hoyer on Cade Horton’s season-ending injury. Read more >> 

• Lineup results have not aligned with underlying stats. Read more >> 

• Shota Imanaga spins six no-hit innings vs. the Pirates. Read more >> 

• Hunter Harvey (triceps) the latest to land on 15-day IL. Read more >> 

• Phil Maton placed on IL with knee tendinitis. Read more >> 

• Seiya Suzuki rejoined the Cubs over the weekend. Read more >> 

After the Cubs’ three-game trip to Philadelphia, the North Siders begin a seven-game homestand with a tilt on Friday against the Mets. During that series against New York, the first 10,000 fans entering Wrigley Field for the Saturday afternoon game (1:20 p.m. CT) will have a chance to snag a bobblehead featuring Hall of Famer Ron Santo clicking his heels. 

Near the intersection of Clark St. and Sheffield Ave. -- only a short walk from Wrigley Field -- you’ll find Cozy Noodles & Rice. It’s a favorite stop among baseball writers and is run by the amazing Chef Tee, who has an infectious personality and a restaurant filled with Cubs memorabilia and a vibe that matches his overflowing energy. 

Over the weekend, I swung in to pick up some of his signature “marathon fried rice” and Chef Tee had a surprise awaiting my arrival. We happened to be running the same lakefront 50K in November and ran side by side for the entire race. He printed a photo of us and signed it -- an extremely thoughtful gift. If you’re in Wrigleyville, head into Chef Tee’s joint and tell him I sent you. He’s a gem of a human being.

“It’s a long season, but he’s got a great arm and I think you can see the talent every time he goes out there. Hopefully he’s going to stack good starts on top of each other and realize you don’t have to strike out everyone with our team. We’re going to catch the ball for him. Hopefully he gains comfort in that and that pushes him into the strike zone even more.” -- Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, on Edward Cabrera 

C. Mark Grace

Grace rattled off 42 hits in March-April in 1996, setting the club record for the opening “month” of the regular season. He hit at a .378 clip in that 27-game period. Castro (2011) and Lee (2008) each had a 40-hit showing. Among Cubs hitters with 30-plus hits in a March-April period, only Lee has a .400-plus average (.419 in 2005).

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