The Beeronaut

The last time Cubs catcher Willson Contreras and his younger brother William played on the same team, they were kids scrounging up sticks to use as bats.

The patio doubled as a field, and they’d gather their friends to play with a plastic ball or crumpled paper wrapped in tape.

“We used to do that every single day,” Willson said. “We were just kids wanting to play baseball, dreaming of coming to the big leagues, making it [in] the big leagues and then making it to an All-Star Game. That was our dream.”

Now, they’re set to play together on the National League All-Star team next week. And they’re both lined up to start.

Fans voted in Willson as the starting catcher. William was a player ballot selection, but Phillies designated hitter Bryce Harper, who was named the starter at DH, will be inactive (broken thumb) for the game. William will take Harper’s place in the starting lineup.

While only a select few make it to the major leagues at all, it’s even rarer for brothers to share the All-Star experience.

The Contreras brothers are set to become the first siblings to appear in the All-Star Game together since Aaron and Bret Boone in 2003. They’ll also be the first brothers to play on the same All-Star team since Roberto and Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1998 and the first in the same starting lineup since the Alomar brothers in 1992.

All-Star week is going to be a whole family affair for the Contrerases.

“They deserve it more than I do, especially my mom and dad,” Willson said. “They did everything that they could to raise three kids in a poor neighborhood. And that’s not an easy job.”

William broke the news of his All-Star selection to Willson by texting him a photo of the invitation envelope on Sunday.

“It makes me even prouder of him,” Willson said. “He’s been doing a really great job in the MLB.”

In April, the Braves optioned William to Triple-A for a couple weeks, and he told Willson that he wasn’t going to go back again.

“That’s something that I really take pride in him [for],” Willson said, “because it’s not easy to say it and do it. But he’s done it, and hopefully it keeps going.”

Willson is making his third All-Star start, while this will be William’s first appearance. Willson said he’ll be happy to answer his younger brother’s questions, but he hasn’t told him what to expect.

“I want him to experience it on his own,” Willson said.

Sampson makes fourth start

Cubs right-hander Adrian Sampson came two outs shy of a quality start against the Orioles on Tuesday, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings.

A fourth-inning walk came back to haunt Sampson. Up next, Ram?n Ur?assent a first-pitch sinker over the wall to erase the Cubs’ one-run lead with a two-run homer.

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A man was shot twice Tuesday evening in the East Side neighborhood after he fired gunshots at a 49-year-old man, police said.

About 5:10 p.m., the 49-year-old man was in the parking lot of a restaurant in the 4000 block of East 106th Street when a vehicle drove up to him and a 19-year-old man exited the car and fired gunshots, police said.

The 49-year-old, who police said has a valid concealed carry license, returned gunfire, striking the 19-year-old man in the right hand and left foot.

The 19-year-old was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said. The other man was not injured.

Area Two detectives are investigating.

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Cubs lefty Justin Steele had barely slept. He’d traveled straight from the hospital to Wrigley Field. And he couldn’t stop smiling about the birth of his son.

“It was crazy,” Steele recounted Tuesday. “I just started crying. It was the greatest day in my life.”

He still wore his hospital wrist band.

“I did not want to leave,” Steele said.

The clubhouse Tuesday afternoon was buzzing in response to Steele’s return from the paternity list. Steele’s fiancee, Libby Murphy, gave birth to their first child on Monday. It also happened to be Steele’s 27th birthday.

“Best birthday present I could ever have,” Steele said. “He’s just amazing. Beautiful baby. Just glad he’s healthy and glad that Libby’s healthy.”

Steele is scheduled to start Wednesday, in the finale of a two-game series against the Orioles at Wrigley Field. To make room on the active roster, the Cubs optioned reliever Anderson Espinoza to Triple-A Iowa.

The Cubs pushed back Steele’s start for the birth of his son. After throwing 6 2/3 of one-run ball in Milwaukee last week, Steele headed back to Chicago to be with Murphy in case the baby came early. When the team headed to the West Coast to face the Dodgers, he stayed behind.

“I didn’t want to be across the country,” Steele said, “and then [have] her go into labor or something and then while I’m flying I miss the whole thing.”

Baby boy Steele – the couple is in the process of deciding on a name – was born Monday morning. New father Steele had to leave the hospital briefly that afternoon to throw a bullpen. He said he drove to Wrigley Field for the session and then right back to the hospital.

“It’s been pretty fun so far,” Steele said of fatherhood.” I’ve really enjoyed it, really enjoyed spending time with him, holding him, just talking to him, feeding him. It’s just nothing like anything else.”

In the clubhouse Tuesday afternoon, fellow starting pitcher Marcus Stroman beelined to Steele’s locker to ask about the baby and his family. Steele pulled out his phone to scroll through photos. Steele did the same as he passed veteran reliever David Robertson’s locker a little while later.

Robertson, who returned home for the birth of his third child during spring training, said he warned Steele not to lose his hospital wristband: “You’re going to need that to get back in or they won’t hand you your baby.”

The other fathers in the locker room have been giving Steele advice here and there for the past few months, he said. Other kernels of wisdom have included: Life’s never going to be the same again. You’re never going to sleep.

“It’s amazing,” said third baseman Patrick Wisdom, whose youngest daughter is about a year old. “I still remember it like it was yesterday. So, it’s just sharing the emotions, those feelings that arise, and just to see how excited and elated he is to show me pictures of his newborn. It’s just awesome. It gives me goosebumps right now because it’s so special.”

Some of the truisms Steele’s teammates shared apply to all new parents. But Steele’s line of work presents its own quirks. Players can stay on the paternity list for a maximum of three days.

Steele hopes to get back to the hospital Tuesday night before getting a good night’s sleep in his own bed before his start.

“That stuff takes you back to your own memories of your own kids,” Cubs manager David Ross said, “and especially in-season births and stuff like that. Really unique. So, happy for him and his [fiancee.] We’ll be happy to get him back too tomorrow.”

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Police and organizers of the popular North Coast Music Festival, an annual event held Labor Day weekend in the Chicago area, said they are monitoring threats made to individuals and artists associated with the festival.

The electronic and hip-hop music festival’s account tweeted a statement in response to a warning of a shooting at the festival, scheduled for September 2-4 in Bridgeview, saying organizers have contacted law enforcement and “are handling it with the utmost seriousness.”

In the initial tweet warning of violence, screenshots of what appeared to be a Facebook post describing a shooting at the festival included racial slurs and referenced violence.

The festival is set to feature headliners Armin Van Buuren, Illenium and Porter Robinson.

“Someone’s mad about one of the performers,” Bridgeview Police Officer Guzy, who didn’t give her first name, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “That’s all we have so far, we’re still trying to investigate and make sure it doesn’t happen.”

The individual who made the threats will be barred from purchasing tickets or entering the festival, the statement said.

“Regardless of this issue, NCMF will have extra security on hand to put the health and safety of everyone who attends the Festival as our top priority,” the statement said.

NCMF organizers didn’t immediately respond to follow-up questions about the threat.

The reported threat comes as large-scale events are under the microscope in the wake of several high-profile mass shootings across the country, including a deadly attack at an Independence Day parade in suburban Highland Park last week where seven people were killed.

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CLEVELAND — Dylan Cease is as low key as they come, but he doesn’t need to find reasons to get amped up.

Two things got him going Tuesday, however — an All-Star snub this week and the White Sox’ near desperate need for a win after dropping the first two games of their road trip, including a lackluster loss in Game 1 of a split doubleheader against the Guardians.

Backed by a two-run homer from Jose Abreu against former Sox prospect Konnor Pilkington in the first and a solo shot from Josh Harrison in the second, Cease pitched 5 2/3 innings of scoreless, five-hit ball. Cease struck out nine, walked three and lowered his ERA to 2.30, exiting with a 4-0 lead.

“Baseball’s more fun when you have good results and this is definitely the most competent I’ve ever been as a pitcher, the best numbers I’ve put up, all of that,” Cease said Monday. “It’s a little disappointing that as a team we aren’t where we want to be. That would be the most fun, good numbers and team’s doing well. But I’m pretty proud of myself and happy with a lot of the adjustments that have been made.”

Cease threw 106 pitches — 57 sliders, 35 fastballs, 13 curveballs and one changeup. His last pitch was a fastball for ball four to former Sox prospect Alex Call, loading the bases with two outs in the sixth. Reynaldo Lopez struck out Luke Maile to keep Cleveland off the scoreboard.

Cease is slated to make his next start Sunday, when the Sox complete a four-game series at Minnesota heading into the All-Star break. In nine starts since May 29, Cease has allowed three earned runs with 71 strikeouts over 51 innings.

Grandal shifts to Charlotte

Catcher Yasmani Grandal’s rehab assignment transitioned from Double-A Birmingham to Triple-A Charlotte. Grandal, who went on IL because of back spasms, was 3-for-7 with six walks in 13 plate appearances at Birmingham. Grandal is expetced to DH twice and catch three times in his next five games.

Grandal’s earliest return is expected to be July 22 after the All-Star break.

This and that

Outfield prospect Oscar Colas was promoted to Double-A Birmingham. Colas, who batted .312/.369/.475 with an .845 OPS at High-A Winston-Salem, will represent the Sox in the Futures Game.

*Shortstop Colson Montgomery is the No. 53 prospect in Baseball America’s latest list of top 100 players, marking the first time this year the Sox have a top 100 player. Montgomery homered in his first at-bat Tuesday, extending his on-base streak to 46 games between Low-A Kannapolis and Winston-Salem (16 games).

*The Sox traded Pilkington to Cleveland for second baseman Cesar Hernandez at the trade deadline last season.

*In Game 1, Shane Bieber became the first Cleveland pitcher to throw a nine-inning complete game with fewer than 100 pitches since Corey Kluber on Aug. 4, 2018.

*Danny Mendick underwent surgery to repair his torn UCL.

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