Cub Tracks is a five on the Sut scale

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.

Cubs analyst/former ESPN analyst/former Cub Rick Sutcliffe is an unabashed Cubs homer. I like it. I like him — he’s several times replied to tweets, and has been gracious every time. I met him once, and he was kind and amusing, telling a story about his Cubs years.

I like him as an announcer as well. His unctuous Midwestern tones hath charms for my savage breast, in much the same fashion as Pat Hughes does, and I can forgive the sometimes dumb (or really old-fashioned chauvinist) things he says. I do understand how that last can be off-putting, and why people don’t like his war stories, but I do.

They’re part of the inside game, which is my meat and potatoes as a fan (equal parts George Plimpton and Jim Bouton probably account for that). Anyway, Paul Sullivan and Gordon Wittenmyer invoke the Sutcliffe homerism in an article below, and we glommed onto it for a title (because we’re always looking for good titles here), and for some self-back-patting. YMMV, of course. It’s only a paper tiger, and it’s only a flesh wound.

The Cubs aren’t dead, so this is a biopsy.

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Jason Heyward is a Dodger, but he kept his home in Chicago and still lives here. Upon his return Thursday, Heyward was asked whether he thought he might not see Wrigley Field again after the Cubs let him go.

“Might not see it? Well, I’m a resident,” he replied. “I knew at some point I would see Wrigley again. That might have been walking the dogs out here in the outfield.” — Paul Sullivan.

• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): With the Cubs and White Sox, a Chicago vibe shift is happening. “It’s early still, but if the Cubs lap the White Sox on their second rebuild, the insecurity on the South Side will reach tragicomic levels.”
• Andy Jasner (Fan Nation*): Cubs matchup against Dodgers could be preview of what’s ahead. “The Chicago Cubs look destined for a playoff run this season, even after losing to Dodgers.” Jordan Bastian has thoughts on this.

“It felt like playoff baseball a little bit,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “I feel like we’re right there with them. We’re a good team. They’re a good team. We had some really hard-fought battles. (Patrick) Wisdom and some other guys carried us at their place. (James) Outman and Muncy carried them here. The big homers are the difference.” from The Athletic {$}.

• James Neveau (NBC Sports Chicago*): 7 Observations: Dodgers vs. Cubs. “The series came with a wide variety of highs, such as Drew Smyly’s flirtation with perfection, and lows, with the Cubs coughing up late runs and finding themselves unable to storm back on multiple occasions.” Paul Sullivan and Gordon Wittenmyer have observations also. And Patrick Mooney takes snapshots {$}. Mark Gonzales has words.

“I think that we’ve all in this locker room lost three out of four before,” Bellinger said. “You have to be really good at bouncing back and that’s what we’re good at. A lot of the guys in here have been through that plenty of times before.”

• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Sun-Times*): Marcus Stroman reaches 1,000-strikeout milestone. “I truly feel I’m getting better with age,” he said.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Drew Smyly’s ‘unicorn’ curve baffling hitters. “Hitters are so good at envisioning where the ball is going to end up,” Smyly said. “Because it fades, I think a lot of times, when hitters swing and miss, they get pissed off. They feel like they should’ve hit it.”
• Kade Kistner (Fan Nation*): Hayden Wesneski makes admission about early season struggles. “... Wesneski has struggled to start the 2023 MLB season and he thinks he knows what the problem may be.”
• Reuters via ESPN*: Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks ready to start rehab assignment. “After some work in the bullpen this week, Hendricks, 33, will start a rehabilitation assignment for a Cubs minor league affiliate to be determined.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): How Cubs’ Patrick Wisdom is better prepared to be an all-around force. “This game beats you up,” bench coach and infield instructor Andy Green said.
• Chris Emma (Marquee Sports Network*): Cubs offense clicking early behind consistent top of the order. “Nico Hoerner has led off every day, Dansby Swanson has played all but one game, Ian Happ has served as a steady presence in the third spot and Seiya Suzuki returned from an oblique injury to occupy the cleanup spot.”
• Ryan Gilbert (Audacy*): Spiegel: This is Swanson’s team and people are feeding off of him. Swanson is batting .299 with three doubles through 20 games on the season. [PODCAST]
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): Hoerner is one of MLB’s hottest players right now. “In terms of results, Nico Hoerner has been one of the top-10 most valuable position players in MLB.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Ian Happ flying under the radar early on in 2023. “... he’s showing why the Cubs front office inked him to an extension earlier this month, preventing him from hitting the open market at season’s end.”
• Matt Stefanski (NBC Sports Chicago): Beth Murphy, owner of Murphy’s Bleachers, dies. “Beth truly loved all things Wrigleyville, and fought hard to preserve the history of our neighborhood over the years...”
• Jeramie Bizzle (CBS News Chicago*): Cubs invited Park Ridge teen who beat lymphoma to throw first pitch at Saturday’s game. “Joey Clark, 13, is a huge Cubs fan...”
• Eldon Ham (Chicago Sun-Times*): How William Wrigley Jr. brought soap, gum and Chicago baseball broadcasting together. “Early baseball owners feared radio, but Cubs owner Wrigley didn’t. When baseball was reinventing itself, Wrigley laid the groundwork for today’s great Chicago sports announcers.”

Food for Thought:

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