Cub Tracks’ ciao hound

Triple-header day, yay. The simCubs played early and the real Cubs played two, later. The Cubs split the twin bill with the stinkin’ Cardinals and the simCubs lost the third of four to the streakin’ Dodgers.

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.

“They’re really close to just really blowing up. I really feel it. ...They’re close. It’s going to happen soon. I have a feeling.” – Alec Mills on the Cubs offense.

“Yu Darvish being free to be himself is the magic formula.” – David Ross, reflecting on Darvish’s dominance since the second half of last season.

• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Cubs-Cardinals doubleheader at Wrigley Field rekindles love of day baseball. “... for a rare moment during this strange season, Wrigley sort of seemed like the old Wrigley again.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Why the Cubs will go as far as Yu Darvish can take them in 2020. “I don’t know why, but my stuff is better than last year,” said the right-hander with 11 variations of five basic pitches that dance around a 98-mph peak velocity. Evan Altman offers thoughts.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Dan Winkler should stop walking leadoff hitters before his luck runs out. “That he’s only allowed two hits in 6.1 innings would be a testament to his stuff if it wasn’t also a sign that he’s not throwing enough strikes.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Showing no sense of panic, Ross remains firm with top of the Cubs batting order: ‘You must have trust in your players’. “I think what’s important that as a manager is you start shuffling the lineup all over the place, it screams panic in the locker room,” Ross said.
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): The Cubs’ 14-7 record is so fine, it’s almost like they’re not hitting .229. “... if the Cubs don’t hit, the center will not hold.” Sahadev Sharma spins the hits {$}.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Ross: Cubs to ‘assess’ whether to stick with Kris Bryant as leadoff man. “... if it makes us better at some point to move him down, then I’ll talk to Kris about that and get back to [media] about that,” Ross said. Patrick Mooney talks Bryant {$}.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs’ Ian Happ fulfilling status as one of Ross’ ‘x-factors’. “I knew Happ was going to have to play a big role for us,” Ross said Wednesday. Jordan Bastian adds on. Tony Andracki addresses this.
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): You can play a round of golf with Happ and help feed the hungry. “Some of the current bids are all the way down at $25, so this stuff is reasonably priced at the moment.”
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Bottom of the Cubs’ lineup continuing to produce amid team’s offensive slump. “... it’s been a group effort to keep things rolling.”
• Cubs birthdays: Robert Gibson, Bull Smith, Fred Norman, Blake DeWitt,

SimNews:

Jon Lester celebrated Prince Spaghetti Day by throwing meatballs while David Price threw risotto until Kris Bryant solved that problem with a fourth-inning base gnocchi. By that time the score was 4-0 and a single was only a moral victory. Bryant was stranded at second base and Price continued to blow beans past Cubs batters.

The Cubs had openings but they were unable to thread the noodle. Jesus Luzardo came in for the seventh and nibbled the strike zone like it was an antipasto tray, which resulted in two more Dodger tallies, and the Cubs continued to behave as if their bats had been packed in Italian ice when Byung-Hun Kim came in to relieve Price and struck out Javier Baez and Willson Contreras in succession.

Brad Wieck was able to quiet Dodgers bats in the eighth but Dan Winkler found a stray meatball and AJ Pollock knocked the cheese off of it, delivering the ball to the bleachers for the Dodgers’ fifth homer of the day and an 8-0 lead. Ross Stripling wasn’t any easier on the Cubs, who continued to swing as though they were wielding bread sticks until Anthony Rizzo put out a hit on a piece of mid-zone mozzarella and knocked the red gravy out of it for a first offense.

Unfortunately, it was also the last offense, and the game ended 8-1. Price and Lester now have identical records.

The Cubs will try to salvage the final game of the series against Alex Wood (6-7, 5.21). Kyle Hendricks (15-4, 2.75), at 3 pm CT. KB will play first today to give Rizzo a bit more rest, with Nico in center again, Baez and Contreras three and four, Ian Happ in right, David Bote playing third, and Almora in left, with Greg Jones in the lineup again in the 8 spot. All game video and related material is available commercial-free, 24/7, at the BCB Media Center.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading!