Cub Tracks Can Play With The Big Boys

Thanks again to Al for covering Sunday's edition of Cub Tracks while I was off in another attempt to become a better basketball official. This camp was much better than the first one in April. And it was only 20 percent of the price!

From Comcast SportsNet Chicago:

• Patrick Mooney writes that the Cubs' first round selection, Ian Happ, certainly fits a Cubs Way profile.
• Joe Maddon after the Cubs' series win in Washington: "I know we can play with the big boys in this league."
• The talk continues regarding Kyle Schwarber and the possibilities of him as the designated hitter when the Cubs begin their run of interleague games in American League parks.
• After pulling Hector Rondon for Pedro Strop in Saturday's game, Joe Maddon told the media that the move was not a sign of ordaining anybody new at closer.
• Jorge Soler is expecting to return to action at the end of his 15-day disabled list stint.
• Meanwhile, Tsuyoshi Wada is definitely aware of the fact that there are two Cub starters that are pitching in the bullpen.
• The Cubs had a chance to draft Addison Russell in 2012. Why didn't they do it?

From Cubs.com:

• After Sunday's win with Jason Motte as the closer, the current plan for the bullpen is basically to be ready to pitch in the last three innings.
• What's the best way to respond to a first-inning strikeout? If you're Kris Bryant, it's to reach safely in your next four at-bats.
• Addison Russell on playing shortstop on Saturday: "It just felt normal."

From ESPN Chicago:

• Jesse Rogers writes that the return of Chris Denorfia to the team might be more "impactful" than having Kyle Schwarber join the roster for the upcoming interleague games.
• What are Schwarber's thoughts about the entire situation? "I've never thought about any promotions."
• Rogers also writes that the Cubs found their offense on Sunday after having it go missing for quite some time.
• Joe Maddon would like to see Jason Hammel pitching in the All-Star Game.

From CBS Chicago:

• Mark Grote takes a look at Albert Almora, who may be in the midst of an approach makeover.
• This week's Behind the Plate with Lisa Fielding focuses on Mike Lufrano, the Cubs' executive vice president of community affairs, and also the man responsible for keeping the Wrigleyville neighborhood looking good.

From the Chicago Tribune:

• Ian Happ has an open ear for advice from major leaguers, crediting both Sean Casey and Kevin Youkilis for helping him with his game.
• If the Cubs were to call up Kyle Schwarber, Anthony Rizzo hopes that it wouldn't be just to get a look at him. He also addresses the dog days of summer that Schwarber has not yet faced.
• However, and it's probably no surprise to anybody, Jason McLeod has said that there has been no discussion of promoting Schwarber over the past week.
• [VIDEO] Kris Bryant talks about his three-hit game against the Nationals while someone seemingly does some repairs in the clubhouse in the process.
• [VIDEO] Kyle Hendricks discusses whether the Cubs are playing to the caliber of their opponents.
• [VIDEO] Joe Maddon talks about Hector Rondon and the current state of the closer's role.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

• With the Cubs' win on Sunday, Gordon Wittenmyer writes that the Cubs are looking more like the St. Louis Cardinals every day.
• Mike Olt is continuing to document his progress on Twitter, posting a video on Sunday with a caption of "Another day closer."

From the Daily Herald:

• Connor McKnight writes that the Cubs' bats need to provide Anthony Rizzo with some support, especially those of the established veterans.

From Bleacher Nation:

• Luis Medina looks back at past drafts and finds that it's seemingly difficult to get value from the ninth pick in the draft.
• If you had your choice of Kris Bryant or Astros shortstop Carlos Correa right now, who would you pick? Sports Illustrated asked this question to 16 general managers and assistant general managers, and the results may be a bit surprising.
• This just in: Anthony Rizzo's slash line with runners on base is just gaudy.

From Cubs Insider:

• Evan Altman looks back at last week's Cubs highlights in GIF form.

Today's food for thought:

• NASA is working on a landing system to land a rover on Mars... and it's not going too well right now.
• [VIDEO] More from space today, as the NASA Dawn spacecraft began an orbit around the dwarf planet of Ceres and sent some photos home of its journey.