Cub Tracks Isn't Pointing Fingers

From Comcast SportsNet Chicago:

• Jon Lester isn't pointing any fingers for Wednesday's loss. In his words: "The bullpen has a hard job."
• Regarding the question of who should get the start for the Wild Card game if the Cubs were to make it there, Lester doesn't care if it's him or Jake Arrieta that gets picked. Actually, he put it a little stronger than that.
• Joe Maddon has been impressed by Javier Baez since his callup, especially with his superb defense and his versatility.
• Jed Hoyer on the improved attendance and what the additional revenue means for the team: "I think it will definitely go into the product on the field."
• What was the main inspiration for Quintin Berry that got him to the major leagues? It was watching Dave Roberts steal second base in the 2004 American League Championship Series.

From Cubs.com:

• For the Statcast fans out there, here are the numbers behind the spectacular catch by Chris Coghlan in Wednesday's game.
• Joe Maddon on the tough Wednesday loss: "We can't permit that to happen. We have to finish that game off."
• Even with the loss on Wednesday, Maddon's goal remains the same: To catch the Cardinals.
• He's also enjoying the fact that the National League Central is such a tough division this season.
• Starlin Castro has acclimated well to not having an everyday spot in the lineup.
• It was 50 years ago, on September 9, 1965, that Bob Hendley threw a one-hitter for the Cubs against the Dodgers... and came up on the losing end as Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game.

From ESPN Chicago:

• Answering the questions in this week's Twitter mailbag: Jake Arrieta.
• Jon Greenberg writes that while Joe Maddon may get the headlines, a lot of credit should also go to bench coach Dave Martinez.
• It's a story that's near and dear to my heart: Anthony Rizzo leads the league this season in Win Probability Added.

From CBS Chicago:

• Despite struggling at times in the second half, Chris Bosio believes that Jason Hammel will turn it around down the stretch.
• This week's "Behind the Plate" focuses on Rocco Caputo, a Wrigley Field vendor for 32 years whose family has worked at the ballpark for generations.

From the Chicago Tribune:

• Did you ever wonder if there was a reason why Fernando Rodney doesn't wear his hat straight? As it turns out, there is.
• Chris Hine writes that if Jake Arrieta were to reach 20 wins this season, it would be an accomplishment that should be celebrated.
• Carl Edwards, Jr. was very appreciative of the advice that he got from the bullpen when he arrived with the big club.
• Philip Hersh writes about the connection between Kris Bryant and his father, as well as their connection to Ted Williams.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

• Kyle Thele looks at the slider of Pedro Strop and how it's currently drawing similarities to... Carlos Marmol?

Miscellaneous:

• The Cubs believe that they can win, and so does John Baker. As he puts it: It just feels right.

Today's food for thought:

• It turns out that dire wolves aren't just from "Game of Thrones". They were actually a species that existed about 15,000 years ago.
• Talk about a fancy camera: The U.S. Department of Energy has given the go-ahead for a digital camera to be built for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. It's a 3.2 gigapixel camera that will weigh more than three tons and will be the size of a small car.