Final: Brewers 1, Cubs 0. pic.twitter.com/aqtQZObAQm
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 12, 2020
Well, the Cubs are still on top of the division. But are they truly ready for a playoff series, if in fact they get there? Is Nico Hoerner faster than Billy Hamilton? How does one go about fixing a broken offense? These and other important questions are addressed below.
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.
Woof Woof! A Big Happy Birthday to our favorite canine, Kevin Rizzo! pic.twitter.com/0jOs3bj0Z0
— A. Rizzo Foundation (@RizzoFoundation) September 11, 2020
“We’re definitely more well-rounded to be able to make some moves and things that might come up over the course of a game, for sure. But, I had confidence in our group to do some of those things early on, too. We’ve added some more veteran pieces, some new pieces there, that definitely I think will pay off in the end.” — David Ross.
Shutdown outing from Big Jon! @NationalPro pic.twitter.com/XjcIxrw9GD
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 12, 2020
“We haven’t gotten some of the expected contributions from our best hitters, that’s playing into it overall,” Epstein said. “You could parse the numbers any way that you want. And if you look deep enough you can find evidence that we’re hitting into some poor luck.
“But I don’t want to rely on that. I don’t think that’s a primary factor in what’s going on. We just haven’t really had sustained offense here, and we need our best leaders to produce in order to accomplish that. We’ve gotten solid contributions from elsewhere in the lineup.” — Theo Epstein.
- Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): How the Cubs became the most boring team in baseball — and why it matters. “According to a new metric devised Thursday by the NBC Sports Chicago Cubs Insider department, the Cubs have literally the majors’ most boring lineup at a time the commissioner’s office is scrambling for answers to growing issues with pace and action.”
- Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): ‘New year, new problem’: Epstein knows the Cubs’ offense needs to be fixed. “Why haven’t things clicked for a group of young hitters who won a World Series four years ago and should be in the prime of their careers right now?” Russell Dorsey chimes in.
- Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Comeback win obscures continued pattern of questionable tactical decisions by Ross. “... removing a starter for what would have been a minuscule advantage at best should be reserved for a situation in which you really need that run.”
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Tyler Chatwood, Jose Quintana face big test to return. “We’ll see how they develop with their throwing,” Theo Epstein said.
- Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Jason Adam is dominating in a small sample – did the Cubs sneakily snag a long-lerm impact reliever? “... Adam sports an eye-popping 40.0% strikeout rate ...”
- Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): 4 takeaways from the Cubs-Reds series, including Willson Contreras’ timely hitting and the need to play Nico Hoerner more frequently. “Fundamentals still are lacking at times.”
- Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Can Kris Bryant rescue his 2020 season before it’s completely lost? “It looks like he’s still sizing up the strike zone to me with the time he’s had off,” Ross said.
- Cubs birthdays: John Dolan, Fred Luderus, Ralph Hamner, Bubba Church, George Freese, Carmen Pignatiello, Clayton Richard.
SimNews:
The simCubs won their 100th game due to the excellent pitching by Kyle Hendricks, Alec Mills, and Craig Kimbrel. Tyler Olson coughed up the lead but vultured the win when Kris Bryant came up with a second clutch double in an exciting contest that was in doubt until the last out was recorded.
Daily, the playoff picture becomes clearer. The Dodgers, Braves, and Indians have qualified for the playoffs. The Yankees will be next. Houston and the Angels are dueling for the last division title. The identities of the participants are well-known now, but the positioning is still fungible. The Rays will have a wild-card spot, as will the Nationals and Brewers in the NL. The tournament will begin in a little over a fortnight.
The playoff-bound Cubs will face the Cardinals again today. Jon Lester (13-8, 3.62) will try to regain his winning ways against Dakota Hudson (4-9, 6.77) in a game scheduled for noon CT. All game video and related material is available commercial-free, 24/7, at the BCB Media Center.
Food for thought:
I had wondered how schools would handle labwork for their science majors. It turns out the answer is just sticking brains and animal parts in the mail.https://t.co/lcIbqtjYfo
— Dan Robitzski (@DanRobitzski) September 11, 2020
The notion of terroir — the idea that where a food is grown affects the taste — is quite old. But it’s taken on new popularity. https://t.co/wEtgRHRw4g
— Science News (@ScienceNews) September 11, 2020
Engineer Jean-Maurice-Émile Baudot, born on this day in 1845, was an important telegraph innovator whose telegraph system helped lay the groundwork for modern computers. https://t.co/6Reg58D2KB
— Smithsonian Magazine (@SmithsonianMag) September 12, 2020
Thanks for reading.