This round of the City Series arrives as the July 31 trade deadline nears. The Cubs are in a position to buy while the White Sox will be looking to sell.

Two and a half years ago, the Cubs signaled that the rebuild was over and they were getting serious about winning by signing Swanson to a seven-year deal worth $177 million.

Swanson understands the expectations, and he knows what it takes after winning the 2021 World Series with the Atlanta Braves.

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective. Sidekick: Ryan Brasier/Drew Pomeranz/Matt Shaw (.000). You break the tie. Brasier and Pomeranz both had 1-2-3 innings with two strikeouts, and Shaw doubled and scored in his only at-bat.

Dansby Swanson snags a liner and dives to tag Freddy Fermin for the double play, as a Cubs' challenge overturns the safe call on the field

My Royals vs. Cubs predictions expect them to be reliant on the bats again Monday, with Dansby Swanson a prime candidate to step up against lefty Noah Cameron. Let’s take a closer look at my July 21 MLB picks.

“Somehow he’s just gotten better in this stretch,” Counsell said. “He’s just overwhelming hitters. It’s just a great pitch mix and deception. You watch the Bobby Witt at-bats, who’s one of the best hitters in the game. What (Boyd) did there tonight is a great example of how good the stuff is. It’s been fun to watch him pitch.”

Matthew Boyd pitched seven crisp innings for his 11th win, and the Chicago Cubs spoiled Rich Hill’s return to the majors with a 6-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson and Matt Shaw each had two hits as Chicago ended a two-game slide.