Cub Tracks Loves The Grind

I am assuming you've seen the new Jose Fernandez commercial and understand the reference. If not, well, there's a new Jose Fernandez commercial. Nasty stuff. I prefer actual coffee, like Bryzzo. But your mileage may vary.

MLB.TV was awful yesterday. It took me over an hour to watch the bottom of the seventh. Matt Szczur stole second seventeen times, I think. I never did get to see the bottom of the sixth. I heard Len and JD talk about it an awful lot, though. Nobody's perfect, but it would be nice if they could minimize that stuff. They should be past the 'growing pains' stage by this point. Baseball benefits from continuity.

Dexter Fowler is some kinda hot right now. That guy has some kind of eye for the ball. 1.225 OPS what?

On to the news...

* denotes autoplay.

The best part of waking up.

• John Jackson (ESPN): Jake Arrieta picks up right where he left off at Wrigley Field. "With the eight scoreless innings on Saturday, he has not allowed a run in his past 48⅔ innings at the ballpark." I get the idea that he takes it personally when someone gets a hit.
• Bruce Levine (CBS Chicago): Jake Arrieta same dominant dude. Arrieta has gone 14-0, giving up just 7 runs, 51 hits, 16 bases on balls, while striking out 109 over his last 100 innings. His glare scratches diamonds.
• Jared Wyllys (Cubs Den): I Must Break You: Cubs 6, Rockies 2. Rocky use of metaphor in long postgame article with lots of data points.
• ESPN: Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler go back-to-back. [VIDEO]

Out of the frying pan.

• Tony Andracki (CSN Chicago*): Joe Maddon sees Matt Szczur playing 'tension-free' baseball with Cubs. "Maddon has already utilized Szczur in almost every game on the young season, whether as a defensive replacement, pinch-hitter or spot-starter to give an outfielder a rest."
• Cody Stavenhagen (MLB.com): Matt Szczur's success mitigating the Kyle Schwarber loss. Schwarber's season-ending injury will obviously test the Cubs depth throughout the season, but to this point, Szczur's transformation and maturation is making matters easier.
• Ryan Davis (Today's Knuckleball): Javier Baez will be a valuable tool for Cubs all season. Just has to keep himself under control.
• Christina Kahrl (ESPN): Trevor Story talks about Jake Arrieta. [VIDEO] Rockies rookie Story was impressed with what he saw from Arrieta.

Over easy.

• Chicago Tribune: Joe Maddon on David Ross, Miguel Montero. [VIDEO]
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): What the Cubs are doing in terms of walks is insane. It's totally sane. It works. That's what's so crazy about it. "...maintaining this track could very well having them chasing a title and dancing around in the new party room."
• Will Leitch (Chicago Tribune): Cubs finally seem to have the upper hand on Cardinals, but still..."it might just look that way."
• Cody Stavenhagen (MLB.com): Kris Bryant reflects one year after MLB debut. "I don't feel any different than I would have growing up," Bryant said. "I'm out there just playing in front of more people on an awesome field."

Home fries.

• Heather Schroering (Chicago Tribune): Recreate 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' with this giveaway. Headquarters Beercade’s Ferris Bueller Giveaway will give one winner and a pal the opportunity to recreate the high school senior’s sick day on May 7, Cubs game and parade included.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Kevin Costner threatens to make movie about the Cubs. He must be stopped.
• Sports Mockery: Best Chicago Cubs starting pitchers in the last 25 years. I'm not sure that I agree. The list has the big three from the early oughts, Jake Arrieta, and Greg Maddux. A case can be made for Jon Lieber, and certainly Theodore Roosevelt Lilly III wishes a few words. Ryan Dempster also deserves some consideration. Rick Reuschel misses the cut by just a couple of years.
• Neil (Chicago Cubs Online): Cubs prospect Donnie Dewees producing at the plate. Last year's second-round pick playing well for South Bend, as part of a very talented outfield, with Eddie Julio Martinez and Eloy Jimenez.
• Luke Blaize (Bleacher Nation): So far, so good for Willson Contreras. The Cubs' batterymate of the future is getting his feet wet in AAA. Small sample size, but he's not looking fluky.

Food for thought:

• Andrew Grant (Science News): Ultrasmall engines bend second law of thermodynamics "Adjusting for the tiny weight of the ion, the power was comparable to that of a car engine."
• Virginia Morrell (Science): Your porchlight is causing moths to evolve. Moths are evolving to avoid light. This has consequences for other forms of life.
• Charles Choi (Popular Science): The first step toward Alpha Centauri: Sailing to Mars.
  

Fly The W!