Cub Tracks goes wild

Hard to know what to do here sometimes. Most things get hashed out before I can post them, and rehash isn’t good for my digestion. We know by now that Drew Smyly ran out of time, and Brandon Morrow is running out of tomorrows, and that’s there’s a storm brewing over the East Coast game scheduling...so the game has to provide the human drama of athletic achievement and the content both.

Ugh. Unfortunately, the Cubs snatched defeat out of the jaws of defeat. Various people will tell you about it below. Feel free to add your thoughts below that. Or not. As always * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

Cubs News and Notes:

• Barry Rozner (Daily Herald {$}): You might want to enjoy this era of Cubs baseball. “The last time the Chicago Cubs won three straight division titles was, well, never...it may never be this good again.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): With hurricane looming, MLB should change venue for Thursday’s Cubs-Nationals game or schedule it for end of season. Wow. Having to agree with Sullivan is weird.
• Mike Axisa (CBS Sports*): Brewers-Cubs series could decide the NL Central race, so here are five reasons to watch. “...wow are Quintana’s numbers against Milwaukee good...”
• Moshe Wilensky (Cubs Insider): Do Cubs boast any future Hall-of-Fame players? Makes a case for Kris Bryant and Cole Hamels.
• Carrie Muskat (MLB.com*): Jon Lester injured as Cubs fall to Crew. “NL Central lead down to 1 game after nail-biting opener.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Carl Edwards Jr’s blatant lack of effort costs Cubs in loss to Brewers. “...one thing every single player can control every single time is his effort level, and Carl Edwards Jr. flat-out dogged it...”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Injured Brandon Morrow and Jason Heyward report progress in their quest to rejoin Cubs roster. “It’s too late in the year for me to have any setbacks,” said Heyward.
• Carrie Muskat (MLB.com*): Smyly done for season, but Morrow progressing. “The best-case scenario would be full strength, ready to go,” Theo Epstein said. “He’s doing everything he possibly can. He wants it. He signed here to pitch in October.”
• Chris Landers (Cut Four): The Cubs frantically prepared for a play at the plate that never actually happened. “It was textbook baseball, the kind of extended suspense that only a pennant race can provide. The only problem? Moustakas had actually been held up at third.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): The Javier Báez Effect, Terrance Gore’s blazing speed and how the Cubs are running toward October. “Speed kills,” Maddon said. “It’s a skill that we really don’t possess. It’s fun to have.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): One reason to want the bullpen in a good place soon? Because of Gore. “The total value is not huge, but the ability to deploy that value strategically is pretty huge.”
• John Grochowski (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ Ben Zobrist defies odds by vying for National League batting title. “Zobrist was hitting .313 through Sunday, third in the National League behind the Brewers’ Christian Yelich (.316) and the Reds’ Scooter Gennett (.315).”
• Jared Wyllys (NBC Sports Chicago*): No time for setbacks: Heyward cautious, but expects to play in September. “It’s too late for me to have any setbacks,” Heyward said, “so I just have to be smart and make sure I’m all the way there.”

Food for Thought: