Cub Tracks lets it slip away

Here at CUB TRACKS NEWS AND NOTES™, we have news for you. The Cubs played in Wrigley North Friday and the results are in. Cubs to an early lead, Davies pitching well enough to win until Codi Heuer had to put out the fire. Good hitting got four runs, and then Frank tanked.

The Cubs held onto the lead until the bottom of the eighth, when Rowan Wick got wild and the Brewers lit him up. Dillon Maples sweetened the pot.

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INF Nico Hoerner (right oblique strain)

Expected return: This weekend vs. Brewers

Hoerner appeared in his third rehab game with Triple-A Iowa on Sept. 15. He had a day off on Sept. 16, though he’s expected to play another rehab game on Sept. 17. Depending how that goes, Hoerner could rejoin the club in Milwaukee as soon as Sept. 18. (Last updated: Sept. 16).

• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): Going to a game at Wrigley Field remains one of the most expensive outings in MLB. “... the Chicago Cubs rank second, behind only the Red Sox.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): How the Cubs can use pieces of what they already have to build a deep, versatile lineup. “Not every successful team has a set lineup filled with everyday players.”
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): What’s wrong with Kyle Hendricks? Cubs’ ace searching for answers. “The right-hander has an 8.21 ERA in his last eight starts.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs not ruling out scaling back Hendricks’ workload. “... we’ll look at that and kind of do what’s best for him going forward,” said David Ross. He’ll make his regular starts after all.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): I didn’t realize just how bad Victor Caratini has been after the trade from the Cubs. “Caratini is hitting just .212/.299/.306, good for a dreadful 65 wRC+. “
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune*{$}: ‘I’m trying to make something happen’: Frank Schwindel continues his torrid hitting pace for the Chicago Cubs — and opposing teams are taking notice. “When I grew up, I hated striking out and hated walking,” Schwindel told the Tribune on Wednesday.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Quantifying Hope: Patrick Wisdom, Frank Schwindel among top 4 ROY Favorites. “It’s incredible that either Cubs corner man is in contention at all...”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Hoerner seeks chance to answer Cubs’ shortstop question. “I could definitely see myself playing shortstop every day,” Hoerner said before heading out for a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa.
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): The decision that helped ignite Ian Happ’s surge at the plate. “... moving into the three-hole helped spark his turnaround.”
• Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register* {$}) Inside the rapid rise of Brennen Davis, the future of the Chicago Cubs. “He’s made strides,” Desi Wilson says of Davis. “Big-time strides.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs Prospects Brailyn Márquez, Miguel Amaya on radar for 2022. “You know Adbert and Manny and Justin and Keegan.”
• Duane Pesice (Cubbies Crib*): Chicago Cubs History: Ernie Banks debuts at Wrigley Field. “He never spent a day in the minors.”
• Andy Kahn (Jambase*): Umphrey’s McGee announces Chicago Cubs Marquee Sports Network partnership. “The band will provide original music for upcoming broadcasts and special programming on the MLB team’s network.”
• Tim Noval and Robert Herguth (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Chicago teams are betting on a Daley to win City Hall OK for ‘sports book’ wagering at arenas. “Cook County Commissioner John Daley’s son is lobbying the Chicago City Council to approve sports betting at or near Sox park, Wrigley Field, Soldier Field and the United Center.”

Food for Thought:

IFL Science: A message in a bottle from Japan washes up in Hawaii 37 years later. “... it was discovered along the beach near Keaau by 9-year-old Abbie Graham.”

Daniel Engber (Popular Science*): Why hasn’t the U.S. adopted the metric system? “Short answer: It’s complicated.”

Futurism: MIT announces “major advance” in fusion power. “It’s really a watershed moment, I believe, in fusion science and technology,” Dennis Whyte said.