Cub Tracks’ swinging singles

Rough day. Baseball was the highlight. The cats got me up at five ayem to feed them and I couldn’t get back to sleep. I made coffee and forgot to put the pot back in and had to mop up the kitchen. The oldest cat then slipped outside when I was taking the garbage out and commenced running up the driveway, causing me to chase him. I was fortunate enough to catch him before he got too far — I breathe with the aid of an O2 machine and can’t run very far.

Then the phone rang. It was my sister, letting me know that our mother had passed in her sleep. It was nine ayem.

Nowhere to go but uphill from there, little engine that could...

That was a lousy movie, but it had a great soundtrack. And now for the news — as always * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

Cubs News and Notes:

“For those who have never experienced West Texas baseball, you just saw it today,” manager Joe Maddon said of the combination of heat and hits. “That’s exactly what it looked like, that’s what it played like. Fortunately, we kicked the last field goal.”

Fan-made catch from ESPN [VIDEO].

• Zach Kram (The Ringer): The Cubs are fielding like it’s 2016 again.”...Chicago is leading the league in 2018, too. But that recent history belies a more troubling trend about the sustainability of the Cubs’ current pitching stats.”
• Carrie Muskat (MLB.com*): Cubs beat heat, outlast Twins in hitfest win. “Home runs are pretty cool,” Albert Almora Jr. said, “but I think the way we produced runs today was also special.”
• Carrie Muskat (MLB.com*): Kyle Hendricks ‘focusing on every throw’ to improve. “It hasn’t felt right for the last few outings,” Hendricks said on Saturday.
• Brian Sandalow (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): “More definition” a positive for Yu Darvish, Cubs. “Hopefully this relaxes his mind a little bit also, moving forward,” Maddon said.
• Phil Rogers (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Kris Bryant ‘on target’ to return to Cubs next week, but Joe Maddon says they won’t push it. Everything’s going in the right direction, but there would be no sense in pushing it if he’s not 100 percent ready,” he said.
• Carrie Muskat (MLB.com*): Almora has 3-for-3 day, but exits with leg cramps. “Things happen in games,” Almora said. “Cramps are definitely part of it.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Four-Play: Reborn Jason Heyward paces Cubs’ offensive juggernaut. “I’m sure there are some who could couch this as being anything other than incredibly encouraging, but I’d hate to be at a party with those folks.”
• Matt Snyder (CBS Sports*): Jason Heyward’s turnaround feels real, and there are reasons to think it will continue. “Quite simply, he looks like a good hitter.”
• Aldo Soto (Sports Mockery): It’s becoming clear who the Cubs will try to trade for at the deadline. “...the Cubs will be in the market for a backup catcher.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): What we’ve learned about the Cubs at the season’s midpoint. “Cubbie occurrences still happen.”

Food For Thought:

Thanks for playing along.