Cub Tracks’ better late

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

It’s been exactly 25 years since I was at the ballpark.

Justin Steele pitched like a superhero, but Edward Cabrera had the Cubs scared hitless through 5. Nobody scored.

Nick Madrigal got the Cubs’ first hit in the sixth. He got the team’s second hit in the eighth, off of former Cub Dylan Floro, an inning after the Marlins scored the game’s first run.

The third hit came off the bat of one Willson Contreras, two batters later, a rare Contreras late-game blast:

Ian Happ followed with his 100th double, and suddenly, we were having fun again. Rowan Wick didn’t get lit up and the Cubs stole a win.

#extendwillson #paytheman

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A #1 and a #5 and we’re good to go. Here’s a way early look at the 2022/3 FA Class.

• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Don’t look now, but Marcus Stroman is rolling as of late. “Thursday marks the first time Stroman has allowed more than one earned run in a start since a disastrous start on June 3 against St. Louis.”
• Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): Why the Cubs feel confident going all in on pitching development. “Within the first day of drafting them, our pitching group had put together plans and ideas for how to help these guys developmentally,” Carter Hawkins said.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Cubs add two starting pitching prospects to their fast-rising farm system. “You’ve got to draft arms and you’ve got to develop arms,” Jed Hoyer said.
• Satchel Price (Chicago Sun-Times {$}): Breaking down Cubs’ new prospects after dealing 3 relievers at trade deadline. “... the Cubs still added a trio of pitching prospects this week. Here’s more on them.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): The smartest trade Cubs made at 2022 deadline. “... trading Scott Effross to the Yankees was a smart move.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): The reason Cubs pitching prospect Alexander Vizcaino has been on the Restricted List all year. “Vizcaino stayed at home over the offseason and just didn’t come to Spring Training.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Kyle Hendricks joined the Chicago Cubs in a franchise-altering trade 10 years ago. Here’s a look back at how it went down. “The Cubs never would have won a World Series had I not gotten traded — you can quote that,” Dempster joked to the Tribune recently. “So you’re welcome, Chicago.”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ Willson Contreras beats Marlins 2-1 with homer in post-deadline return to Wrigley. “Another Cubs defeat? Not this time. Not on Contreras’ watch. He’s still here — confound it all — and you’ve got to hand it to the guy for his flair for the dramatic.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Contreras finding peace of mind with Deadline in rear-view. “He just said he feels like he can take a deep breath again,” Marcus Stroman said.
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}: Back to the future sequel begins for the rebuilding Chicago Cubs as they hold auditions to see who sticks around. “We’ll move guys around, see what we’ve got,” manager David Ross said.
• Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): After roster additions, Cubs lay out new plan for infield rotation. “We’ve got some new guys that our priority is to get at-bats and you just have conversations [with] some of the guys that might not get as much...” said Ross.
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): With an infield logjam and an eye on future, the Chicago Cubs option David Bote to Iowa and aim to prioritize younger players. “There’s only so much playing time to go around, I think that’s for everybody, right?” Ross said.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): As losses pile up, Cubs get looks at players they hope help them win in the future. “We’re always thinking about how to make our club better, current and in the future,” Hawkins said.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Why Cubs say now wasn’t time to pull Soto-type lever. “It just didn’t feel like the price and the timing was right on that.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Jed Hoyer says Brennen Davis, Miguel Amaya ‘Probably Unlikely’ to see MLB action this season. “The future is bright for those guys, but I think it’s probably unlikely to be in Chicago this year.”
• Tom Dart (The Guardian*): Hack Wilson: the hard-living Chicago Cubs star whose epic 1930 endures. “... it’s impossible to imagine anyone – not Judge, not Pete Alonso, not Jose Ramirez, not a single modern hitter – threatening Wilson’s MLB-record total of 191 runs batted in.”

Food for Thought:

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