Cub Tracks goes west, young man

Well, that’s a desirable end, anyway. Not sure I like the way Colorado goes about their business. We’ll just tack that up on the board behind more pressing business and see what happens next round. Hey ... it wasn’t boring.

Big series starting tonight. Hot fun in the summertime! Weatherman says mid-80s in LA.

Here’s today’s Cubs News and Notes. As always, * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$] means limited views.

Willson Contreras leads all NL catchers with 850,613 votes. In fact, no player holds a larger lead at any position -- in either league.

”I saw the results that came out, and it made me very happy that I had the support of all the fans out there, not just Cubs fans but fans from around baseball,” Contreras said through an interpreter. “I’ve been really happy with what I’ve done so far this season, and I know there’s a lot more work to do, and this could possibly be my second start as an All-Star, and it’s really exciting. But there’s a ways to go before we get there.” — Manny Randhawa.

• Manny Randhawa (MLB.com*): Steve Cishek carted off field before game. “The severity of the injury is unclear at this time.” Update: It’s a bruise.
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Javier Baez and Cole Hamels take care of business, helping the Cubs snap a 5-game road skid with a rout of the Rockies. “I would say he watched that one a little extra, which is nice,” Anthony Rizzo said. Brett Taylor opines.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): After feuding in Denver, Cubs looking forward to a hyped showdown at Dodger Stadium. “... it’s almost impossible to create an edge anymore,” said Maddon.
• Tommy Hottovy on the Score [AUDIO]. Joe Maddon on the Score [AUDIO].
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Brad Brach’s inability to finish off batters mystifies Cubs. “The putaway is not there, but the stuff is still good,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. Brett Taylor adds on. Evan Altman opines.

Cubs reliever Brad Brach was down on himself after giving up 4 runs in the Cubs 10-3 loss to the Rockies on Tuesday. He failed to put away batters, even though he was getting ahead of them, as his ERA is now 6.39: “It’s frustrating. Something I’ve been working on all week, to execute pitches, then I go out there and put up another stinker. It’s not fun... I’m not throwing the ball where I need to. Frankly, it’s embarrassing. It’s just going out there and just giving up line drive after line drive. It’s just not good... I think the most frustrating part is I have feel like I’ve had some of the best stuff, in the last three weeks, and it’s been the worst results probably in my whole career.” — Jesse Rogers.

• Manny Randhawa (MLB.com*): Anticipation builds after Craig Kimbrel throws again. “I liked his accountability,” Maddon said.
• Phil Rogers (Forbes* {$}): Kimbrel addition follows Cubs’ pattern — Unusually heavy bullpen spending. “Because they have been unable to develop homegrown options, the Cubs have gone outside the organization to add multiple bullpen pieces at mid-season or in the off-seasons in each of the last four seasons.”
• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): The Javy Effect: How Baez’ fearless nature has rubbed off on the Cubs. “I don’t think that guy goes to bed one night and worries about how many times he struck out that day,” said Maddon.
• Mark Gonzales (Chicagi Tribune* {$}): Cubs newcomer Carlos Gonzalez realizes time to win a championship is precious: ‘This is what this team offers’. “But at the end of the day, when you’re playing at this stage of your career, you want to be on a winning team,” he said.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): A Cubs team with this much star power — plus Kimbrel in waiting — needs a manager like Joe Maddon. “That’s just who our guys are,” Maddon said.
• Kyle Fredrickson (The Denver Post*): Why Broncos coach Vic Fangio has a friend in Cubs manager Joe Maddon. “Two gray-haired guys who grew up about 30 miles apart in northeast Pennsylvania.”
• Good stuff in this FanPost by shakeitsugaree.
• Cubs birthdays: Carroll Yerkes, Pedro Strop.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.