Cub Tracks takes five, Cubs take six

The simCubs return from a brief West Coast swing with a 27-11 record, 6-1 for the trip, five games in first place, ahead of the Brewers, who are 22-16. They’ll play the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg tomorrow, but are off today for a brief rest at home.

Jose Quintana was splendid, throwing seven strong innings, and the Phil Regan special was passed on to Kyle Ryan, who ended up with the win when Willson Contreras whacked a ball into the seats in left field in the top of the 11th inning. Craig Kimbrel came on for the save.

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.

“I’m very happy in Chicago. I believe it’s one of the best organizations in the major leagues,” Javier Baez told ESPN. “We had several conversations but never focused on a deadline. They were very amicable conversations where we communicated well with each other.”

• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Brainstorming ideas for Cubs TV, whenever baseball returns. “Put two ex-players in the booth and let them say whatever they want.”
• (Cubs Insider*): Report: MLB expected to present restart proposal to union within week. ... according to Ken Rosenthal {$}. Brett Taylor adds on.
• Marly Rivera (ESPN*): Coronavirus pandemic slows contract talks between Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs. “For me, it’s about loyalty. This is the team that has seen me grow up,” Baez said. Katherine Acquavella has more of this. Jordan Bastian also reports.
• Vinnie Duber (NBC Sports Chicago*): Bryce Harper doesn’t want Phillies to trade top prospect for Kris Bryant. “... if we can’t extend Kris after we traded Spencer Howard, then what would be the point?”
• Phil Rosenthal (Chicago Tribune* {$}): ESPN following ‘The Last Dance’ with more documentaries. So look for Sammy Sosa and ‘Long Gone Summer’ on June 14. “Both McGwire and Sosa submitted to lengthy interviews for the project, according to ESPN, which said the musical score was provided by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, who’s from the St. Louis area and now lives in Chicago.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs’ top 5 international signings of all time. Willson Contreras is second, for now, because Big Z. Also the Top 5 center fielders.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs Insider’s Q&A with Katie Day, whose new baseball song ‘Just A Game’ channels all the feels. “... it’s how most of us are feeling at times during this pandemic shutdown, but this is a more nuanced lament that you’ll find on Twitter.”
• Cubs birthdays: Sam Shaw, Mickey Doolin, Eddie Pick, Al Epperly, John Flavin. Also notable: Dick Williams HOF.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading!