Cub Tracks is OK at the Corral

Veteran ranch-hand Jon Lester pitched the simCubs through the seventh and Dan Winkler, the eighth, and Kyle Ryan shut the door before the horse left, for a 4-0 victory. Ian Happ was a thoroughbred with a three-run blast after Willson Contreras drove in the lead run in the sixth, and the simCubs won their third in this series and their sixth in a row heading into tomorrow’s contest, the final one of the year against Arizona, with a chance to saddle the home team with a four-game sweep.

Tyler Chatwood will duel Luke Weaver at one pm NL Central, northwest of Tombstone. Al will have more information about that in the game post at 2:30 p.m. CT, for our 3 p.m. start. I’ll drop the specific URL to the contest in the game thread, but you can lurk at the BCB Media Center and catch it there as well. All past games and highlights reels are available there too, if you want the full #simCubs experience.

And now, here’s Cub Tracks News and Notes, the only links column that really matters. 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.

• Daryl van Schouwen (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Realignment with Cubs in same division as White Sox more than fine with Steve Stone. “For the White Sox, ‘‘there’s nothing better than beating the Cubs,’’ the Sox broadcaster says.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Get a new grip: Dakota Mekkes, José Quintana, Adbert Alzolay working to improve pitches for 2020. “... it’s the inability to experiment in a competitive setting that really hurts pitchers trying to take the next step in their development or just tweak a familiar offering.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Awesome: Kris Bryant hopped onto a Little League Team’s video chat. “Bonus shout out to Anthony Rizzo in there...” Tim Stebbins has more of this.
• Luis Torres (Beyond the Box Score): Trade Retrospective: Cubs acquire Dexter Fowler from the Astros. “The Cubs expected Arismendy Alcántara to be their center fielder of the future, but his major league debut did not go well at all.”
• Bill Roseberry (Advantage*): Bryan Hudson stays prepared for the unknown. “Injury slowed the progression of Hudson’s career in 2019.”
• Chris Halicke (Sports Illustrated*): Rangers’ Joey Gallo upset By Cubs’ Ian Happ in MLB The Show Players League Playoffs. “Despite a lost internet connection just before the home half of the final inning, Gallo could not overcome the seven-run deficit.” Tim Stebbins has more of this.
• Adam Berry, Do-Hyoung Park and Juan Toribio (MLB.com*): Happ falls to Lucas Giolito in Players League semis. “Happ, who made the playoffs despite a 9-9 start to the season, wouldn’t go down without a fight.” Tim Stebbins has more of this.
• Cubs Insider*: Evan Altman interviews Sahadev Sharma. Path to ‘The Athletic,’ best Cubs interviews, John Lackey’s crusty demeanor.
• Cubs birthdays: George Gore, John Hollison, Frank Morrissey, Ralph Michaels, Chris Cannizzaro, Davey Lopes, Joe Kmak, Ryan Dempster, Also notable: Eppa Rixey HOF, Red Ruffing HOF,

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading!