Final: Reds 10, Cubs 1. pic.twitter.com/j2Q2amDOEK
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 11, 2019
Lizzie Borden took 41 whacks. I think the Reds had that many homers in the second inning. Kyle Hendricks was statuesque in that his pitches just sorta stood there and said “hit me very far.” Just ugh, and also ack! and Ooooof! and Poit! Thank you, Don Martin, and thank you, Svengoolie. Thank you too, dear reader. Ber-wyn!
Oh gawd. I wonder if even Al watched that whole thing. I’m gonna be honest and admit that I turned the game off in the fourth and went back to binging Mayans M.C., which doesn’t have the charismatic performances nor the crazed panache of Sons of Anarchy but does have plenty of irony and brutality, both of which nourish my cold old heart.
Not so nourishing was the Cubs game, wherein the Cubs were once again, unironically, unmasked as a lousy road club, and the viewing of which was truncated, as mentioned a couple of sentences ago. It left a taste in my mouth not unlike Skyline Chili, which my taste buds abhor like cats abhor Whit Bissell. Brutal! I know, these jokes suck like a half-horse shop vac doing liposuction, so let’s just join today’s Cubs News and Notes, already in progress. As always, * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views.
Zo getting ready. #Cubs https://t.co/gLYZLtcGR5
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) August 10, 2019
- Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): In Joe Maddon’s ‘win-or-bust’ season, the final 7 weeks could determine his Cubs fate. We don’t know how this season will end for Maddon or the Cubs, whether agony or ecstasy will define them in October.
- (Cubs Insider): Kyle Hendricks achieving career-best results by throwing more elevated fastballs. Ironically, some of these were elevated into the cheap seats Saturday.
- Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Steve Cishek’s hip injury puts the Cubs bullpen in flux — again. “It might be up to the kids to keep things afloat.” Jordan Bastian has more Cishek. Jesse Rogers also has words.
- Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): ‘Nothing to be disappointed about,’ says Cubs’ Victor Caratini after losing interim job twice. “Victor’s done well. This doesn’t put Victor on the shelf,” Maddon said. “There’s no reason to run away from Victor right now. I’m just trying to figure it out.”
- Brendan Miller (Cubs Insider): Javier Baez appears to have fixed glaring weakness against high heat. “The probability that Javy will whiff on those pitches has been slashed nearly in half and now sits from 15-25%.”
- Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs extra: Jason Heyward earning the big money in his most valuable season as a Cub. “... don’t be surprised if Heyward gets some love on some MVP ballots this year.”
- Tim Stebbins (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Add Aristides Aquino to the team of modern-day Cub killers.
- Cubs birthdays: Pete Knisely, Karl Adams, Bobo Newsom, Bob Scheffing, Andrew Lorraine. Also notable: Vada Pinson.
Food for thought:
Studies on still-living nerve cells may help reveal what makes us human. #longreads
— Science News (@ScienceNews) August 10, 2019
(Through our Transparency Project, we reveal key reasons we reported stories like this one. We want to hear from you!)
https://t.co/iRmGo2BmQu
Designers Propose a Wacky Submarine For Making 'Iceberg Babies' in The Arctic https://t.co/SAifL3ZFpX
— ScienceAlert (@ScienceAlert) August 10, 2019
Building bigger and bigger telescopes is not cheap. Now, one scientist has suggested a work-around. https://t.co/nEGPJ3lYGe
— Science News (@ScienceNews) August 10, 2019
Thanks for reading.