Cub Tracks has algorithm

‘Real’ baseball is looming, and soon, the simCubs will take a back seat to the real thing. They will probably continue to win despite a lack of official attention, as they did Saturday afternoon at simWrigley, allowing a mere five hits for a total of eight for the two-day span as sim Jon Lester won his 11th at long last and sim Kris Bryant sealed the deal with a bases-loaded circuit clout.

Today sim Anthony DeSclafani will try to outwit and outpitch the Professor, sim Kyle Hendricks, as the Cubs attempt another broomfest, having already claimed the meatloaf.

Al will have more about the game in the game post at 2:30 p.m. CT, after which 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.

FYI: SimGames will continue to be played according to the original daily schedule and they will be posted at approximately 9 a.m. NL Central Time. We will continue coverage on these pages, with the simCubs section coming before the Food for Thought section, if and when real game threads commence.

And now, without further ado, 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.

• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs vs. White Sox: David Ross plans to treat the exhibition ‘like a real game’. “I’m taking it as a preparation moment for me, finding my routine, finding out our new daily process to getting ready for a series,” Ross said.
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Exhibitions pitting the Cubs vs. the White Sox are not going to be just another day at the park on the North and South Sides. “Unlike the Cactus League, the Chicago League is an exclusive club of two.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs have until August 31 to cut payroll and reset luxury tax. “... they’ve got to shave at least $5.5 million from the books ...”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): 5 issues illuminated at Cubs Summer Camp. “... overall the team has avoided any major hiccups related to the ongoing pandemic.” Mark Gonzales also has five things.
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): How Cubs’ Yu Darvish and Victor Caratini developed ‘friendship and trust’. “These two guys have a real funny sense of humor towards each other,” Ross said.
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs backup catcher Caratini expects more opportunities this season. “Ross has considered having Caratini and starting catcher Willson Contreras in the lineup together.”
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Dan Winkler’s unique journey to the Cubs. “I grew up listening to Harry Caray because when we’d get to my grandma’s house, she’d turn on WGN and we watched it all the time.”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ Nico Hoerner might not win a starting job, but his strong camp is winning praise. ‘‘The good thing about this roster is there’s a lot of flexibility,’’ Ross said.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Ross: Hoerner and Jason Kipnis are the Cubs main options at second base. “It’s clear that Ross and the Cubs are still predominantly viewing David Bote in more of a utility role than as an option to start ...”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Why Cubs manager David Ross calls Ian Happ, Albert Almora Jr. ‘X factors’. “You look at these guys and the expectations that they have for themselves and that we put on them as an organization,” Ross said.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Can Kyle Schwarber, Almora Jr. and Happ stay hot for 60 games? “The Cubs have been searching for consistency from their offense for years now.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Notes: Almora going all out; Rizzo takes step. “Almora has stolen three bases and has sliced singles the opposite way.”
• Cubs birthdays: Bob Pettit, Mark Koenig, Phil Cavarretta, Marcelino Solis, Phil Coke.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading! Please remember that posted political content must be directly baseball-related or it is subject to deletion without notice.