Cub Tracks’ almost

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.

That was a lot of people in the booth. But Ryne Sandberg was actually pretty funny and informative and Boog and JD leave a lot of space — their broadcast is very spare. I appreciate that they’re so pro. Boog wasn’t my first choice but he does good work. I’m sorry, but I don’t miss Len Kasper so much. I am looking forward to Pat Hughes doing the job today, though. Was that a bathrobe Taylor was wearing? Looked comfy, if a little fluffy.

Nico Hoerner doesn’t want to go back down, it looks like. Hoerner said he was “surprised” when he was sent down at the end of Cubs camp. I’m on Nico’s side. I think he’s just a sparkplug kinda guy.

I don’t hate any of the alternatives though, so it’s just a matter of degree.

In the game, Adbert Alzolay looked great, but his time on the mound was limited. I guess the next step will be letting him work through a jam.

He could hardly have done worse — Rex Brothers ‘overcooked’ his slider and let the Brewers tie the game.

How did it turn out? Let’s just say that it got interesting.

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If we can lay out the doomsday scenarios when the team looks awful in April, then we also must acknowledge the possibility that the most successful era of Cubs baseball in our lifetime doesn’t have to end in July. — Patrick Mooney

• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Observations: Cubs’ win streak ends in Alzolay’s return. “After a dominant first four innings, Adbert Alzolay ran into trouble in the fifth inning before getting pulled.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): The Cubs now have the third best offense in the National League (LOL). “The only consistency has been inconsistency, and scoring 1, 3, and 14 runs over a three-game stretch is usually not as valuable as scoring 6, 6, and 6.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Báez ‘proving it’ again in walk years. “Nothing changes just because you have a couple good games. It’s a long season,” said Rizzo. “It’s just going out every day and proving it.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Hoerner making most of ‘good opportunity’. “If I control my end as a player, then I know I’m going to have a good opportunity with the Cubs. And that’s a pretty awesome spot to be in.” Paul Sullivan adds on. Maddie Lee has words, too.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Bench El Mago? Why the Cubs are back and letting it ride with Javier Báez. “... you have to take the good with the bad, which is how it works with any employee in every business.”
• Mark Potash (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs notebook: Kyle Hendricks bounces back. “After allowing four home runs in the first inning in his previous start against the Braves, the veteran right-hander was in command all the way with a big early lead against the Brewers on Friday.”
• Photos of the game (John J Kim, Chicago Tribune*)
• RIP Adrian Garrett. He played for the Cubs 1970-73 and again in 1975. He was a minor league manager for the White Sox in 1982.

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading.