Cub Tracks’ uncomfortably numbers

Here at CUB TRACKS NEWS AND NOTES™, we have news for you. I know, Eric Sogard aka the new Daniel Descalso was re-activated. That’s possibly bad news for most of the readership. Ian Happ is liable to play a lot of left field if he remains. This also may be bad news for some.

We could talk about Starlin Castro, but all of the evidence isn’t in yet. He’s on administrative leave while the situation is investigated. I think we can all agree that domestic violence is bad news.

Jon Heyman tweeted about Rizzo and Baez. While we don’t know whose interest he is serving, the thought is interesting nonetheless. The retention of said players might be construed as good news. It’s been written up widely but there really isn’t much to say that fans don’t already know. And, as bad as they seem right now, the Cubs have better playoff odds than the Cardinals.

And hey! The Cubs played the woeful Diamondbacks Friday night in monsoon-stricken Arizona, where the flash floods drown out the hot takes. There was little wrong with their performance...Nico Hoerner had an HBBB moment when he tried to pop over a bad-hop chopper but he did well despite that issue. Anthony Rizzo (11), Patrick Wisdom (13) and pinch-hitter Jason Heyward clouted deep flies, and the Cubs won going away, with Kyle Hendricks coming up with a quality start (12) and the bullpen holding the fort for the win.

Al has details and highlights in his recap.

My Five ‘Bold’ Predictions:

1). Ian Happ will play well enough and hit well enough as a regular left fielder to be allowed to do it again.

2). Patrick Wisdom will win the ROY.

3). Justin Steele and Adbert Alzolay will be pro down the stretch as the Cubs contend for the division title.

4). Jake Arrieta will show that he had pitched through an actual injury with a decent August and September.

5). The Cubs will contend for the division title. At about five games over .500.

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• Neil Paine (Five Thirty-Eight*): This trade deadline could break up the Cubs’ almost-dynasty. “... the Cubs’ Doyle Number is now 0.11.”
• Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs trade deadline primer: What to expect with Jed Hoyer in sell mode. “This is shaping up to be an inglorious end to what the Cubs once hoped would become a dynasty.” Meghan Montemurro has thoughts about this.
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs face inevitability of change as second half looms. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Quantifying hope: Cubs boast 50% better playoff odds than Cardinals. “... the Cardinals have just a 2.4% likelihood of making the postseason...”
• Steve Adams (MLB Trade Rumors*): Cubs will reportedly try again on Rizzo, Baez extensions before exploring trades. “... both have rebounded somewhat from a down year in 2020.” Tim Stebbins talks about this.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Mets among teams interested in Kris Bryant. “The Cubs are open for business...”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs get 1B prospect from Braves for Joc Pederson. Bryce Ball was teammates with Cubs’ 2020 second-rounder Burl Carraway. Steve Greenberg opines. Who’s next? asks Paul Sullivan.
• Lance Brozdowski (Marquee Sports Network*): Data versus feel: Cubs pitching prospects Ryan Jensen, Max Bain take different paths to their own development. “Jensen and Bain represent two of the most intriguing pitching prospects in the Cubs system...”
• Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): What the Cubs are getting in Jordan Wicks and their 2021 MLB Draft class: ‘It’s a match made in heaven’. “ (The Cubs are) going to get a true professional right out of the gate.”
• Todd Johnson (Cubs Insider*): Where will Cubs’ new Draft Picks be assigned once they agree to deals? “We are probably going to see a few of the more experienced picks matriculate to Myrtle Beach and we might even see one or two make it all the way up to South Bend.”
• Jeff Agrest (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network plans to travel more in second half of season. “Marquee is planning to travel for roughly half of the road trips in the second half of the Cubs’ season.”

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading!