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Welcome to today’s edition of Cub Tracks news and notes™, featuring material from current beat writers, bloggers, and the occasional in-house habitué, moonlighting. These pieces center around #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball.

Well, Wade Miley is back on the 15-day IL. People are going around using the word ‘inexplicable’ regarding Clint Frazier’s unceremonious exit from the team and Jason Heyward’s continuing membership. Anthony Rizzo aimed a backhand at Cubs’ management. Matt Swarmer made a pitch to remain in the rotation. The eight and nine spots in the starting nine looked like a loss before the game was played. It feels like the Cubs are already behind. One run will seem like ten.

All this, plus a night game at the House that Ruth didn’t build. Good times. Matt Swarmer must feel like Sgt. Howie by now.

I can’t say that I blame them. Holy gamethreadword, what a display. I wanted to turn the sound off because the Noo Yawk centrism got to me about the time the Cubs had two on, nobody out, with Simmons and Heyward coming up. But I kept it on just to bathe in the waves of righteous anger when they flailed. Even Christopher Morel flailed wildly at a 2-2 offering from Jordan Montgomery.

How come we don’t have those types of players, Jed? Tom? The waves and waves are coming from Cub hitters failing to hit with runners in scoring position and pitchers heaving meatballs. ?&%$!

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“We think a lot of Clint and his ability,” manager David Ross said. “It was just one of those tough decisions.”

• Alexander Patt (Cubbies Crib*): 3 frustrating Chicago Cubs storylines thus far in 2022. “There have been plenty of frustrating moments and storylines already during the 2022 season. Here are some that really stand out.”
• Jacob Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Recurring shoulder issues could sink Wade Miley’s trade value. “... looking at the bigger picture, Chicago needs the left-hander to prove he’s healthy if they have any shot at getting a decent return on him at the trade deadline.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Miley exits early as hits keep coming to Cubs rotation. “It’s the same thing I went on the IL for, which I wasn’t concerned about at all,” said Miley, who will be reevaluated Monday in Chicago.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Hitters aren’t ready for Matt Swarmer’s slider. “It’s on the same plane as the fastball and then it kind of disappears,” Cubs manager David Ross said.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Caleb Kilian in play for 2nd start with Wade Miley IL move. “Kilian’s schedule at Triple-A Iowa lines up...”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Willson Contreras ‘happy’ to avoid hearing Cubs’ arb case. “I told my agent to make it work,” Contreras said Friday.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Anthony Rizzo: ‘Cubs should be competing every single year’. “Yeah. It’s better for the game. When the big teams are playing at a premium, it’s just better for baseball.”
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Frank Schwindel’s family could not be more excited to be here. “This is awesome!” Father-In-Law Frank said. “Yankee Stadium, my son-in-law. This is unbelievable. Ahhh!”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Why the Cubs say they let Clint Frazier go, and why it leaves me confused and frustrated. “The explanation for the DFA was pretty much exactly what you did not want to hear.” Sahadev Sharma wrote about this as well {$}.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Seiya Suzuki finger injury ‘going to take a while’. “It’s just going really slowly,” Cubs manager David Ross said Saturday before the Cubs played the Yankees. “He wants to be back in there bad. But the finger doesn’t look great. It’s really stayed almost status quo.”
• Beau Bowman (KCCI*): ‘Baseball at its best’: The Iowa Cubs surprise Des Moines little leaguers. “A partnership between the Iowa Cubs and Bank of America provided new jerseys for each player, a PA announcer, and even a t-shirt cannon at the game.”

Food for Thought:

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