Cub Tracks’ something about Yu

Here’s Cub Tracks 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.

• Jeff Agrest (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Baseball players should play, not answer questions, during broadcasts. “The broadcasters are trying to interview without distracting, the player is trying to listen while playing and the viewer is trying not to cringe at all of it.”
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): 2020 report card: Grading Cubs starting pitchers. “Here are the individual grades for the Cubs rotation.”
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Cubs proud of what Yu Darvish accomplished in 2020. ‘He will likely finish in the Top 3 in National League Cy Young voting next month and could even take home the award.”
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): 2020 report card: Grading Cubs relief pitchers. “Here are the grades for the seven relievers who pitched at least 15 innings for the Cubs this season”
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): 2020 report card: Grading Cubs hitters. ... the Cubs offense fell short of expectations.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Chicago Cubs Q&A: Should hitting coach Anthony Iapoce be replaced? How much can they spend in the offseason? “... personnel changes should have been made after the 2018 season.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): 7 players who may have played their last game with the Cubs. Kris Bryant heads this list.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): How expanded playoffs might take a second bite out of Cubs. “There are some competitive unknowns, too,” Cubs president Theo Epstein said this week.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): 8The Cubs are on the cutting edge of pitching. Their offense just hasn’t kept up. “This is not how Epstein’s front office envisioned it in the rebuilding stages ...”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): Okay, so what actually happened to Ian Happ at the end there? “There are a few different games we can identify as “the wall” ...”
• Marquee Sports Network: MLB Film Room gives Cubs fans creative control to edit custom highlight reels. “... a new video tool ...“
• Cubs birthdays: Mike Corcoran, Charlie Sprague, Ad Gumbert, Bill Moran, Bill Killefer, Mickey Kreitner, Bobby Tiefenauer, Roger Metzger, Rob Sperring, Ramon Martinez, Adrian Cardenas.

SimNews:

Yu Darvish, Dan Winkler, and Ryan Tepera collaborated on a one-hit shutout, the only hit a seventh-inning double by Cody Bellinger. Darvish was simply magnificent in collecting his second playoff win. The Cubs’ first run scored on a walk. The second run scored when Jason Heyward hit the pitcher with a batted ball, and the last two scored on a tremendous Kris Bryant deep fly that felt final when it left the bat.

Walker Buehler couldn’t quite match Darvish pitch-by-pitch and had to retire early after his 40-pitch first inning made his day taxing. Dodgers reliever Ross Stripling was also hit by a batted ball and had to leave the game.

Ryan Yarbrough (0-0, 0.00) and Clayton Kershaw (0-1, 4.50) will face each other at 11 a.m. CT. Sunday will be a ‘travel day’ as the teams ready for battle in Chavez Ravine. All game video and related material is available commercial-free, 24/7, at the BCB Media Center.

Food for thought: