Cub Tracks could get used to the two-jack attack

The narrative: Last week, we were on the ledge and on the edge of breaking up the team. Now...

The Cubs got home late and rested a couple of regulars. Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward joined Anthony Rizzo on the bench and the Cubs faced Milwaukee, with a chance to push the Brewers lower down in the standings and gain on the front-running Cardinals, with an eye toward maintaining as little separation as possible with the Nationals, who led the wild-card race by 2½ games at the outset.

The Cubs came in after reeling off four wins in a row. A game and a half separated the two leading teams at the outset, with the third-place Brewers trailing by five and a half.

The Cubs offered Jose Quintana the opportunity to continue his skein of good pitching against a team that he had enjoyed good success against before this year. Quintana was trying for his 12th win.

Victor Caratini, Ian Happ, and David Bote were in the starting lineup. Happ, who was my pre-season choice for lead-off man, led off. A .329 OBP may not be optimal, but it’s good enough. Or is it? Ask Nick Castellanos. By now, you know the result. Al’s recap has the details.

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. Italics are often used here as sarcasm font.

“When I got traded to the Cubs,” Castellanos told USA Today, “it was like I was called up to the big leagues. I’m waking up excited to compete every day playing for something.”

“Nicholas is Nicholas. When you talk to him, my God, he’s the same dude every day. I don’t know if he sleeps or not, but he’s absolutely the same person. He’s always energetic. His conversations are always upbeat. He’s never morose about anything. This is just who this guy is. He likes to play, and I don’t see a stitch of fatigue right now.” — Joe Maddon.

• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): The real Jon Lester shows up when it matters, giving the Cubs a new sense of momentum. “The crazy part about it is he’s not even locked in yet,” Jonathan Lucroy said.
• Brendan Miller (Cubs Insider): Jose Quintana inducing more grounders with elevated sinkers. “...three of every four of his sinkers put in play have been hit on the ground.”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): Joe Maddon on the leadoff decisions, both for August and the rest of the season. “... for right now, I’m not running away from Jason,” Maddon said, in part.
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Willson Contreras starts a rehab assignment with Iowa on Friday and could return to the Cubs next weekend in Milwaukee. “Contreras took several rounds of batting practice and ran the bases without discomfort Thursday, telling two reporters he felt “great” before leaving for the airport.” Jordan Bastian has more. Tim Stebbins takes the next step.
• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): ‘He’s like a veteran catcher’: How Victor Caratini emerged as a vital piece for the Cubs. “He does a great job. For a guy who is 26 years old, he’s like a veteran catcher,” said Tommy Hottovy.
• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): Anthony Rizzo’s ailing back and the Cubs’ ‘Sunday lineup’. “I just thought it was the right day to do that,” Maddon said.
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Ben Zobrist is set to return to the Cubs on Sunday on what Joe Maddon hopes is a ‘normal’ day. “It’s not a really groovy time for him, the way he’s coming back, regarding the pitching matchups,” Maddon said. Brett Taylor weighs in. SI has a writeup.
• Julian Crews (WGN-9): Girl, 15, battling cancer surprised by idol Javier Báez at Wrigley Field. “Báez walked onto the field with gifts for the teen [Brianna Barker] that included his jersey and baseball — and shared a hug...”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): What Cubs have to consider when it comes to a Kris Bryant trade. “... entertaining trade offers for Bryant makes sense.”
• Marlowe Alter (Detroit Free Press* {$}): Cubs’ Nicholas Castellanos creates new HR celebration with epic bat slam. “Take that, bat-flippers.” Tony Andracki has more along those lines.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Castellanos’ brother has hilarious reaction to mistaking Bill Murray for Tom Hanks. “Great all of Chicago thinks Nick is a philosopher and I’m a moron,” he tweeted.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Chili Davis’ side of the personality clash with some Cubs hitters: ‘I was too outspoken’. “The Chicago experience is something that I’d rather just put behind me,” Davis said. “It didn’t work. Let’s just leave it at that.”
• Cubs birthdays: Duke Farrell, Ray Mack, Ramon Hernandez, Cleo James, Boots Day. Also notable: Eddie Plank (HoF), Frank Robinson (HoF).

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.