Cub Tracks’ the 7-Downs

Here at CUB TRACKS NEWS AND NOTES™, we have news for you. The weather person says half a foot of rain came down in fifteen minutes this afternoon. I went out and danced in it. In sports, Alec Mills and Sonny Gray dueled some, with Mills staked to an early lead courtesy of Jason Heyward’s RBI double.

Both pitchers were dealing, striking out hitters right and left-handed. Mills looked determined to Maddux until Nick Castellanos knocked him out with the second Reds hit of the day. That led to two runs, a Reds lead, and game-long drama, in which we fans waited for the Cubs to hit with a runner in scoring position (or for the Reds to widen the lead). Neither happened, and now the Cubs have lost seven straight. They were 0-5 with RISP.

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• MLB.com: Injuries & Roster Moves: Hoerner rehabs. “ it’s a “possibility” that the infielder rejoins the Cubs at some point in the July 2-4 weekend series...”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): So much more to discuss on the state of the Cubs’ buy-sell decision for the run-up to the trade deadline. “...selling is now as likely as ever...” Sahadev Sharma’s take {$}. Russell Dorsey weighs in.
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): It’s time for the Cubs to have a real conversation about Jake Arrieta. “I don’t know who we would replace him with.”
• Nick Selbe (Sports Illustrated*): Cubs’ Milwaukee meltdown should serve as a warning. “Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong for us lately,” Arrieta said.
• Anthony Castrovince (MLB.com*): Big trades and other bold July predictions. “The Cubs will acquire Kyle Gibson.”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): The key to Cubs reliever Andrew Chafin’s career year? He just doesn’t give a [blank]. What’s a little high-leverage pressure, anyway? “My skin is so damn thick,” he says, “it doesn’t even matter.”
• Meghan Montemurro and Lamond Pope (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Chicago Cubs and White Sox position players are shut out in bid to start in the 2021 MLB All-Star Game. “Of the Cubs’ five finalists, Bryant likely has the best chance to be chosen as an All-Star reserve.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs: Why Kyle Schwarber looks like one that got away. “Think the Cubs could use that guy right now?”

Food for Thought: