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Welcome to today’s edition of Cub Tracks news and notes™, a greatest-hits from Chicago-style beat writers and bloggers, ground from #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball, and cold-brewed overnight for maximum flavor.

I dunno about you, and I’m not going to go into lengthy justifications why, but I’d very much like to have both Ian Happ and Willson Contreras back for 2023. It’s beginning to look like the team may have stepped in something good, and both players seem to like the smell.

I’m not tired yet of saying that I said that the Cubs would be better after the deadline. That was quite a game — our Cubs look completely different than they did ‘before’. Chemistry means a lot in baseball.

But... to get beat by 42 (-ish)-year-old Albert Pujols... ouch. Smyly drew the short straw there. That didn’t look like a meatball, leaving his hand. But when your team has but one hit, the margin for error shrinks accordingly. Arg. Still, I’ll take that pitching performance any day.

Something involving C2H5OH and perhaps a bit of C₂₁H₃₀O₂ might be in order after that. I guess we’re just gonna have to get used to the three-person booth. It gets confusing though.

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Kyle Hendricks said on Aug. 21 that his focus is on returning to full strength for 2023. The veteran pitcher will move his rehab to Arizona later this week and hopes to build up to throwing before the end of the season in order to take advantage of a full offseason. Hendricks was placed on the 15-day IL on July 6, one day after exiting his start against the Brewers early.

“My main thing is to get him back on the bump throwing bullpens and seeing how he feels. Let’s get him healthy,” Ross said on Aug. 9. “I don’t think getting him back in games is a top priority for everyone. But if he is able to get to that space, I think that’s a win for everyone. That’s kind of where I’m at.” — MLB.com.

• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Winning Time: How a team meeting helped lead to the Cubs’ recent success. “It was just good to get everybody together and have that conversation. It’s been a nice little run,” said Ian Happ.
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): Justin Steele’s breakout is the best thing to happen to the Cubs this season. “... Steele is excelling in the upper echelons of both strike out stuff *and* contact management.” Tony Andracki has more Steele. Mark Gonzales has even more Steele.
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks acknowledges that nagging shoulder strain will end season. “... he plans to leave next weekend for Arizona to prepare for 2023.” More Hendricks experience from Tim Stebbins.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Chicago Cubs promoting pitching prospect Javier Assad to start in tomorrow’s double-header. “Let’s not rule out a situation where he winds up establishing himself as a solid starter or swingman next year for the big league team.” Evan Altman has more on Assad. Tim Stebbins has still more Assad.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Improved Cubs showing Willson Contreras: ‘I want to be part of what’s going on here’. “Before the trade deadline, there was definitely a little bit of uncertainty,” David Ross said. More Contreras from John Grochowski.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Brennen Davis could be headed to South Bend soon. “According to Tommy Birch...”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): How valuable is Ian Happ’s rare switch-hitting power? “This was one of the things that as the deadline was going past I wanted to get to 100 before my time here was done,” said Happ Sunday.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): With Cubs, Franmil Reyes has a fresh start and a singular focus at the plate. “He’s got an energy about him that’s just infectious,” said Ross.
• Phil Thompson (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Pat Foley admits to ‘some butterflies’ as the retired Blackhawks voice prepares for his 1st Cubs broadcast at Wrigley Field. “I haven’t done a baseball broadcast in 20 years. I’ve got some butterflies...”

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