Cub Tracks’ fools’ gold

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.

If the Cubs have to lose, they need to learn to wear it well. There are calmer seas ahead. But smiling faces sometimes...

After two games, the Cubs are 1-1. Even keel, the Good Ship Cub sails on. The sample sizes are too small to mean anything at all. I’m just going to watch the team play for a while before jumping to any conclusions. Al covered the game and results, so we need not go over any of that here, except that I’m not sure that Mastrobuoni catches that ball even if he lays out. A better read would have helped — he wasn’t full speed at the ball right away.

That said, the problem was lack of offense, not bad defense. And against Brandon Woodruff, you have to capitalize on every opportunity. The Cubs didn’t, with a(n) (Pittsburgh-area native) Ian Happ solo homer the only score outside of 670 on your AM dial. (It almost held up — but everyone knows you generally need more than one run to win. I bet John knows what the average margin of victory in MLB is...)

One writer says Marcus Stroman is the Cubs’ ace. See if you buy his case. A familiar face mulls the Cubs’ playoff chances.

Let’s hope for a meatloaf dinner today. Optimism still permeates the zeitgeist, but a loss or two to the Brewers could possibility curdle the milk of human kindness that’s currently flowing. As always, we await developments.

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• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): David Ross’ pump-up speech to a Cubs team that already believes (and the doubters). “It’s about how we connect as a group,” David Ross said.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (Sportsnaut*): The MLB contender on nobody’s radar? Are the Chicago Cubs for real? “I just hope the expectations are high in that room,” Jed Hoyer said of the clubhouse. “I think that’s what’s really matters.”
• Patrick Rose (AP*): Contreras’ 2-run single leads Brewers past Cubs 3-1. “Contreras was robbed of two possible hits by Swanson at shortstop before he delivered. Contreras and Swanson played together with the Braves in the previous three seasons.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Cubs loss keys: Javier Assad’s walk, Miles Mastrobuoni’s defense, Justin Steele’s start. “... a look at some of the key moments from Saturday’s tough loss.”
• Jack Scroggs (Sports Mockery*): Three overreactions for the Cubs after Opening Day. “The amazing thing about Stroman is that he brings a huge amount of swag to the team, and has his play back it up.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Sun-Times*): Cubs’ Justin Steele pitches six scoreless innings in first start of season. “Steele allowed three hits, struck out eight and walked one.” Jordan Bastian has more Steele. Tony Andracki also Steeles a moment.
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune*): Chicago Cubs can’t capitalize on Justin Steele’s 6 shutout innings in 3-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers: ‘That’s as good as we’ve seen him.’

• Ryan Taylor (NBC Sports Chicago*): Dansby Swanson breaks newbie hitting record held since 1920. “Swanson has six hits in his first two games with his new team, the most by a newcomer shortstop in his first two games with a new club since 1920...”
• Josh Wilson (FanSided*): It took less than 2 games for Dansby Swanson signing to start paying off for Cubs. “The shortstop is doing everything the Chicago Cubs hoped he would do in the first few games of the year.”

• Aldo Soto (Sports Mockery*): Eric Hosmer is on a short leash. “Hosmer is going to have to play himself out of a job, but at least there are indications that the team isn’t just going to keep him around no matter what.”
• Michael Brakebill (Cubbies Crib*): Chicago Cubs prospect Matt Mervis continues to prove himself. “If Mervis is getting to the point where he is only hindering the Cubs by not being on the main roster, a move will have to be made fairly early in the year if you’re the Jed Hoyer.”
• Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): The Cubs’ long-term plan for Christopher Morel. “At Iowa, Morel will be getting regular at-bats — he started the I-Cubs’ Opening Day on Friday night — and can play all over the diamond. The consistent plate appearances will be crucial for his development.”

Food for Thought:

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