Cub Tracks’ Seiya sooner or later

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

Miles Mastrobuoni was given a parachute, and they dropped him off on the way, says Brandon Palmer, our roving reporter.

Really, and to nobody’s surprise (just ask Josh), he was the odd man out when Seiya Suzuki returned to the lineup. Dansby Swanson returned as well, to open the three-game series at Chavez Ravine against the LA Dodgers. Justin Steele took the hill Friday night, opposing Midgard-area native Noah Syndergaard.

It was a return for Cody Bellinger, who got plenty of love:

Sights and sounds:

Al has details in his recap. One bat hour earlier, same bat channel tonight.

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• AP*: Pitcher criticizes MLB teams for extending alcohol sales. “Matt Strahm said Thursday on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast that teams should be moving the cutoff for beer sales up to the sixth inning, rather than stretching to the eighth or later, since fans will have less time to sober up and drive home.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): David Ross with a fair reminder about what goes into managerial decisions. “... sometimes he’s playing with more information than we have...”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): As Cubs get more competitive, Jed Hoyer and David Ross won’t agree on everything (and that’s OK). “I may have my reasons for doing things that may not align with others, but those are my reasons,” said Ross.
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): Cubs’ homegrown relievers were under-the-radar heroes of series win vs. Mariners. “The Cubs’ walk-off and comeback wins this week wouldn’t have been possible without contributions from Adbert Alzolay, Michael Rucker and Keegan Thompson.”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): Eric Hosmer’s start hasn’t really been as good as it looks. “... his overall slash line is undercut by a .333 SLG, which has been 20% worse than the league average hitter and 26% worse than league average first baseman.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs outfielder feeling Happ-y with extension. “I really, really wanted to continue to wear this uniform,” Happ said. He loves this place, says Sahadev Sharma {$}.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cody Bellinger could create small wrinkle in Cubs’ OF mix as Seiya Suzuki prepares to return. “Cody Bellinger’s girlfriend is due with the couple’s second child any day, so he will likely be on paternity leave for a handful of games in the near future.” From Tony Andracki article.
• Alexander Patt (Cubbies Crib*): Is Cody Bellinger’s recent stretch a sign of hope? “It seems incredibly unlikely that he will find his All-Star/MVP form, but getting an improved and decently productive Bellinger will be a plus for the Cubs.”
• Tony Andracki and Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): A Numbers Game: A look at how every Cubs player — and the manager — picked their jersey number. “I sign my name with the number,” Ian Happ said, who also has “IH8” engraved on his baseball gloves. “It becomes part of your identity. You look at it every day.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Dai Dai Otaka brings a fresh approach to his role as Chicago Cubs minor-league infield coordinator: ‘Make the extraordinary ordinary’. “Traditionally, we’ve been practicing defense a certain way as a whole in baseball for a long time,” Jared Banner told the Tribune. “Dai Dai has some new, unconventional ways to teach, and I’m excited to try some of those things.”
• Gaston Lopez Jr (MLB.com*): Cubs RBI All-Star Lopez Jr. writes essay for Jackie Robinson Day. Great story — here’s the article.

Food for Thought:

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