Cub Tracks falls down again

Insert gamethread word here.

West Coast games are even weird for us people in western time zones. One gets used to certain time frames. And I forgot to take my nap, so I’m crankier than usual. That game didn’t help. Whyfor can’t the Cubs hit no-name pitchers? I mean damn. We’ve seen them take it to Kershaw and Strasburg and guys like that. Yeah, Paddack was streaking before that but still...

Surely someone has data. Anyway, this particular listicle concerns the up-to-the-minute doings of Cubdom, ripped straight from the Mojo wire, as it were, in 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.

Taylor Davis outrighted to Triple A.

• Geoff Magliocchetti (the big lead*): Joe Maddon isn’t the problem in Chicago. “Perhaps instead of Maddon, blame should instead turn to the names he’s in charge of penciling into the lineup.” Laura Messer also indicts the front office. Steve Greenberg talks scapegoat.
• AE Schafer (Viva El Birdos): Let’s talk about the Cubs. “... it is not hard to imagine a situation in which the Cubs can climb right back into control of the division as soon as next season ...”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): September decisions deserve the scrutiny they invite. “... hope is not a strategy.”
• Ryan Thomure (Cubs Insider): Reluctance to utilize injured list more proactively remains perplexing theme of 2019 season. “... what exactly are the Cubs doing here?”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times*): No closer, no shortstop, no leadoff hitter, no chance Cubs in playoff position — wait, what? “Maddon embraces the critics as he navigates the final weeks of a tight playoff race with adversity mounting for his flawed team.”
• Phil Rogers (Forbes*): Cubs have somehow spent 65 million on an unreliable bullpen. “The bullpen has been a recurring late-season issue for Theo Epstein over the last five years.”
• Shaun O’Neil (MLB.com*): Craig Kimbrel’s IL stint to extend beyond 10 days. “It’s not just about playing catch or even going out there and making 10 throws off the mound. It’s got to be something legitimate,” said Maddon.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Why Maddon sticking with Steve Cishek during loss to Padres made sense. “Cishek was the Cubs’ best bet at getting the game into the 11th inning.”
• ESPN: Ben Zobrist talks to the media [VIDEO].
• Rob Schaefer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Tony Kemp takes to Twitter to voice frustration after dicey third strike call. “This isn’t an isolated incident for Kemp...”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Cubs Q&A: Will anyone be fired if the team doesn’t make the playoffs? Could Kris Bryant or Javier Baez be traded? “President Theo Epstein will be thorough in his assessment of the roster as it relates to winning in the short term and adding young talent for the future.”
• ESPN: Kris Bryant talks to the media [VIDEO].
• Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Can Cubs afford to keep Nick Castellanos after this season? Can they afford not to? “He’s the youngest free agent, and he doesn’t have a qualifying offer,” Scott Boras said.
• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): ‘There might be gold at the end of the fricking rainbow, but you’re still losing every day’: Remembering the 2012 Cubs. “In baseball, I think the only thing that keeps you sane is winning,” Jeff Samardzija said.
• Cubs birthdays: John Dolan, Fred Luderus, Ralph Hamner, Bubba Church, George Freese, Carmen Pignatiello, Clayton Richard.

Food for thought: