Cub Tracks plates it up

Hooray, for we have meatloaf. The simCubs were victorious as Javier Baez (15) sent a ninth-inning blast into the left field seats and Craig Kimbrel nailed down the save after Jesse Winker tied the game with a grand slam off of Alec Mills in the sixth after a rare Kris Bryant error opened the floodgates (none of the runs were earned).

Nick Castellanos homered to lead off, and Willson Contreras (20) opened the Cubs’ scoring in the top of the 2nd with a long blast to left-center, tying the score. The teams added one more run each and then the Cubs had a big inning in the fifth, scoring four runs to fashion a 6-2 lead. Then Winker’s drive tied the game in the sixth, and there was no more scoring until Javy Javy’d. Kyle Schwarber (17) also homered on the day. Jesus Luzardo and Ryan Tepera (6-1) turned in creditable outings, and Tepera escaped with the W. Kimbrel’s save was his 27th (one behind Giovanny Gallegos).
The Reds are an even 15 games out of first, in third place. The 45-34 Brewers are in second.

Today, Yu Darvish (7-3, 3.16) will try for the sweep against Luis Castillo (5-3, 3.36), who has been the Reds’ stopper a couple of times this year already. Al will have more about the game in the game post at 2:30 p.m. CT, and then I’ll post the actual URL to the stream at 3 p.m. CT. Or you can catch the game at the BCB Media Center and also catch past games and game videos, if you want the full #simCubs experience.

MLB’s 60-game schedule will largely feature divisional play (~40 games); rest of games will be against the opposite league’s corresponding geographical division (AL East v NL East; AL Central v NL Central; AL West v NL West).

And now, 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.

I’ll be excited about the return of major-league baseball when there are replacement players, replacement owners and a replacement commissioner. — Rick Morrissey.

• Alex Shapiro (NBC Sports Chicago*): Chicago Cubs tabbed as 2020 NL Central champions, per ZiPS projections. “... it’s important to take these projections with a grain of salt.” Michael Cerami has thoughts about this.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Why Cubs might be hurt more than rivals by delayed, 60-game season. “... good luck with your algorithms and PECOTA projections this time around.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs FAQ: Details on the upcoming season. “... there is no other choice but to get off to a fast start ...” Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma add on {$}.
• Eno Sarris (The Athletic {$}): Six things we know about the shape of the coming baseball season. “There will be an asterisk over the season, but should there be?”
• ESPN: How many wins to reach the playoffs? A .400 hitter? How wild a 60-game MLB season could really get. “... we asked three of ESPN’s MLB experts — Bradford Doolittle, David Schoenfield and Sam Miller ...”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): 2020 MLB season: What Cubs’ initial 30-man roster could look like. “Players have the option to opt out of this season altogether but no Cubs have yet, so this group is based on that.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): There could be “Emergency” teams of free agents created for MLB Teams to tap during the regular season. “... if there are areas where there is lower viral spread, you could see this working, not only for MLB, but for the local teams, facilities, and pro players who just want an opportunity to play.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Chaotic 2020 Season may spur different trade deadline strategy for Cubs. “Even before the pandemic reshaped everything we thought we knew, it was assumed that the Cubs were going to have to make some potentially unpopular trades to clear salary.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): A to-do list for the Chicago Cubs in a shortened 60-game season. “Here’s a list of priorities for the Cubs leading up to the new opening day on July 23 or 24.”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Is it July yet? Cubs need instant answers from Yu Darvish, Kris Bryant, David Ross, others. “Here are three things the Cubs need to see get off the ground quickly and successfully.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Breaking down the Cubs’ options at DH. “Here is a look at three scenarios new Cubs manager Davis Ross will consider.”
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs’ Ian Happ hopes players, MLB owners can come together to grow the game. “I think it’s so important to see the whole picture here,” Happ said, “and that this is our job and guys want to get back to playing, but at the same time, there’s a lot more that goes into it.”
• Katlin Connin (WSBT-22): South Bend Cubs Owner: Chicago Cubs may be coming to Four Winds Field for spring training. “Andrew Berlin ... says nothing is set in stone, but major league players may be spending some time right here on our turf.”
• Cubs birthdays: Bill Phyle, Jose Ortiz, Michael Tucker, Aramis Ramirez, Paul Maholm.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.