Cub Tracks starts out on the wrong foot

Welcome to today’s episode 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.

Well, I guess I profiled poor Hayden Wesneski back to Triple-A, but at least he got to see his mom. He’ll be back. The Iowa Express operated again and new arms are needed for the invasion of Texas. Kyle Hendricks lies between the lines in those moves, as does Codi Heuer.

Someone’s gonna have to go. Gonna need a 40-man spot soon.

Jameson Taillon tried to right the ship. It didn’t start out so well. Christopher Morel misplayed a fly ball into a double and a duck snort plated that run. The ball was getting way too much plate and a big hole was dug.

Christopher keeps on Morelizing.

But it didn’t end well for our guys. Lots of K-ball.

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• NBC Sports Chicago*: Heyman says Cubs are better than 19-21 record suggests. “And maybe I’m overplaying this because we have to have something to be happy about in Chicago. But but I actually do think they are a pretty good team.”

• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune*): Dusty Baker reflects on highs and lows in Chicago as he prepares to face the Cubs — perhaps for the last time. “(President) Crane Kenney said: ‘Dusty, you understand. We’re not going anywhere.’ But I didn’t know then there was an impending sale of the Tribune.”
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): ‘Really good Mother’s Day gift’: Cubs’ Hayden Wesneski celebrates his mom completing Leukemia treatment. “I’m just glad I get to see my mom today,” Wesneski said.
• Aldo Soto (Sports Mockery*): Best Comeback of 2023 belongs to Cubs pitcher Nick Burdi. “... after not being in the majors since the summer of 2020, Burdi is now back in the show.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): As Chicago Cubs reliever Brad Boxberger goes on the IL, a largely unproven bullpen continues to be tested. “We don’t really have any real roles down there quite yet,” Ross said.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs’ Ben Brown is quickly emerging as the pitching prospect they’ve been waiting for. “It’s kind of a relentless attack,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “He’s coming at you.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): The Cardinals apparently fixed Willson Contreras’s catching problems in one week. “I told them that I’m ready to catch, I’m not just going to be a DH,” Contreras said.

“The starting pitchers told management they simply no longer wanted to pitch to him, at least not this season, after getting off to their dreadful start, producing an ugly 5.40 ERA,” — Bob Nightengale.

• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Belli exits after wall robbery of Kyle Tucker. “... he was replaced in the eighth inning by pinch-hitter Miles Mastrobuoni.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): This Cub is performing better at the plate. “When Suzuki finds it, he can rip a line drive out into the left-field seats at 108.8 mph like he did Sunday afternoon.”
• Jacob MIsener (Cubbies Crib*): Pete Crow-Armstrong now a top 15 prospect in all of baseball. “... it bodes well for his trajectory moving forward.”
• Jason Clayworth(Axios*): Inside the Iowa Cubs’ $65M “Cubbie Village” vision. “The Iowa Cubs have a loose vision to transform Principal Park and its surrounding areas into something like Wrigley Field in Chicago...”

Food for Thought:

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