Cub Tracks beats you with funk

Here at CUB TRACKS NEWS AND NOTES™, we like to keep things brief on the principle that it makes us appear wise. We don’t always, but we like to.

The Cubs won pretty Tuesday night behind Jake Arrieta and hoped to do more of the same Wednesday with Zach Davies on the mound and a right-hand-heavy lineup against the Mets and David Peterson, a man-mountain from Aurora, CO.

Things started out slowly but things got weird in the fourth. How weird? Very weird. Al explains in his recap.

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 on this page as sarcasm font. (In the comments section, use @ before and after your remarks @ to produce sarcasm font. In the text body. It doesn’t work in the headlines.)

• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Back to basics! Cubs get back to playing clean baseball in victory over Mets. “Tuesday’s 3-1 victory against the Mets gave a small glimpse into what manager David Ross is looking for.”
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): How the Cubs combat frigid temperatures at Wrigley Field. “David Ross believes the focus for players is finding a way to layer up without inhibiting movement on the field.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Jake Arrieta warms up Wrigley on frigid night. “Arrieta bared his arms, braved the elements and then breezed through the Mets...” Tony Andracki offers perspective.
• Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Is this the year the Cubs’ pitching staff implodes? What the numbers are telling us. “There is no logical way to analyze this situation and expect the Cubs to suddenly get better in 2021.”
• Rick Morrissey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): The Cubs’ hitting slump is taking a toll on mental health — ours. “The team has the worst batting average in baseball, and watching it unfold has been a cruel form of punishment.”
• Jared Wyllys (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs catcher Willson Contreras is twice the guy he used to be. “Contreras still is growing as a catcher, but he’s no longer the kind who needs a bat to make a difference.”
• Matt Snyder (CBS Sports*): Why Javier Baez’s continued struggles at the plate are concerning as free agency looms. “... the plate discipline and whiff issues must be addressed.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Joc Pederson maintaining perspective while admitting ‘It’s not very fun when you’re sucking’. “Results kind of drive us a little crazy.” Meghan Montemurro has thoughts on this. Patrick Mooney {$} also opines.
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Ian Happ might ‘sacrifice a few chickens’ to bust slump. “You’ve got to trust the process and trust the baseball gods,” Happ said Wednesday.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Cubs expected to sign the top prospect out of Panama, Adan Sanchez. “Indeed, Sanchez is the second-highest-ranked prospect from anywhere other than DR/Cuba/Venezuela.”
• John Byrne (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Cubs would get a rare Friday night game at Wrigley Field under alderman’s plan. “Wrigleyville Ald. Tom Tunney has agreed to support a one-time exception...”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs make it through 2-week COVID-19 scare. “It is really nice to have those guys back,” Ross said of Craig Driver and Chris Young.
• MLB.com*: Chicago Cubs launch limited-edition collection with local street artist Penny Pinch in celebration of Earth Day. “... while supplies last.”

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading!