Cub Tracks Rejects Your Reality

Cubs lose ugly. So much for giving the bullpen a break. Miguel Montero looked good though. That 81-mph fastball, man. Lull ya to sleep.

Last time through the looking glass, Cub Tracks came back again, again, and spoke of recent struggles, killing germs, and other bullet points. Today, we’ll try to forget about yesterday and set our sights on today and the rest of the schedule, substituting our own reality in the Cub Tracks continuum.

Plenty of people on the twitters thought that the Cubs should have DFA’d Brett Anderson instead of Matt Szczur. Many more agreed, after the game. I have to admit I lean in that direction — don’t have much faith that Szczur will make it to Triple-A, and less faith in Anderson. A couple of the enlightened even wanted to trade Anderson for Szczur. Heh. Don’t think that’s possible but I feel it.

That realization came to me on little cat feet. Good luck to Rob Zastryzny, who was brought up and appeared in the game.

The song is supposed to tell the story of an Oak Park wrestler who got put in a chokehold and passed out.

Jeimer Candelario and Dylan Cease, the minor league players of the month, might be wondering about their addresses soon. Especially Candelario, who has Dan Vogelbach-like value. Certainly the scribes will hold forth on this and other pressing issues. Let’s see, shall we? As always * means autoplay on™ (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

On this day in Cubs history:

• 1969 - Willie Davis, furious with the Wrigley Field Bleacher Bums because of their continual verbal abuse of him, tells his Dodgers teammates that he wants to hit a home run in the middle of the group, which he does in the sixth inning to tie the score. The LA center fielder exacts a bit more more revenge on the heckling horde when his 12th-inning two-run round-tripper proves to be the difference in the 4-2 defeat of the Cubs.

• 2008 - In the Reds' 9-0 victory over the Cubs at Great American Ball Park, Jon Lieber joins Phil Norton (2000) in becoming only the second hurler in franchise history to allow four homers in one inning. Joey Votto, who will hit three round-trippers during the game, Adam Dunn, Paul Bako, and Jerry Hairston all take the Chicago starter deep in the second inning.
• 2010 - Starlin Castro, the first major leaguer to be born in the 1990's, becomes the sixth Cub in franchise history to hit a home run in his first big league at bat, going deep off Homer Bailey in Chicago's 14-7 win over Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park. The 20 year-old rookie shortstop also becomes the first player to compile six RBIs in his first game in the majors when he delivers a bases-loaded triple in addition to his second inning three-run blast to deep right field.

Cubs News:

Mark DeRosa talks with Dexter Fowler, provided by the MLB Network:

Part one:

Part two:

The full show will be aired on the MLB Network at 9:00 a.m. CT, today.

• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Don’t expect the Cubs’ Front Office to take it easy in the trade market this year. Expands on Patrick Mooney (CSN Chicago) article.
• Paul Skrbina (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Cubs pitchers feeling squeezed on umpires' strike zones. The eye test says they have a point. Joe Maddon agrees.
• Matt Pettit (Wrigleyville-Baseball Prospectus): Cubs starting rotation woes. “...at a certain point the Cubs may have to pull the plug on the Brett Anderson experience and examine their other options...”
• Vinnie Duber (CSN Chicago*): Cubs' pitching problem isn't the bullpen, it's quick-to-exit starters, per Joe Maddon. “...at the end of the day, you’ve got to starting pitch well to really play this game properly,” he said.
• John Sickels (Minor League Ball): MLB Rookie Profile: Felix Pena, RHP, Chicago Cubs. “...he throws strikes and the entire gestalt looks like it can work nicely out of the bullpen.”
• Randy Holt (Wrigleyville-Baseball Prospectus): How’s that center field platoon working out? “At this juncture, you could absolutely argue that the decision to sign Jon Jay to complement Albert Almora Jr. has worked out in the best possible way.”
• Ben Reiter (Sports Illustrated*): The Slugger & The Scout: How Kyle Schwarber became the consummate Chicago Cub. “He’s not some guy we picked up on the waiver wire,” said Epstein.

• Bruce Levine (CBS Chicago*): Idea of automated plate umpire intrigues Cubs’ Maddon. Joe called the zone on Tuesday evening “not the strike zone — the ball zone.”
• Jared Wyllys (Wrigleyville-Baseball Prospectus): Starlin Castro symbolized the in-between. “His team was in an ill-fitting and uncertain spot, and he was one reason to tune in.” Sam Fels adds commentary.
• Matt Provenzano (Pinstripe Alley): As the Yankees take on the Cubs, they witness a rebuild they can emulate. “With a combination of high payroll and a great farm system, the Yankees should model their rebuild on the system Theo Epstein has built.”
• Patricia Babcock McGraw (Daily Herald {$}): Former Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood shows support for women's sports. "I love what sports has done for both of my daughters. It's given them a lot of confidence,” he said.
• Daniel Beers (SouthSound Talk): Tacoma Rainiers go back in time with 2017 Throwback Weekend. “On May 6 and 7, players will don the uniforms of yesteryear in the first two games of a four-game series with the New Orleans Baby Cakes, Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, to honor two iconic eras of Tacoma baseball.” Baby Cakes.

Food for thought:

• Alex Soojung, Kim Pang (The Week): Why you should work 4 hours a day, according to science. “Everybody concentrates on the most obvious, measurable forms of work and tries to make those more productive.”
• Five Thirty-Eight: How the planet Vulcan changed science forever [AUDIO].
• Laura Geggel (Live Science): 15 of the largest animals of their kind on earth. Albatross! Get your albatross here!

I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords. See you Tuesday with more Cubs News and Notes. Thanks for reading.