Cub Tracks’ land of the Giants

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.

What do you think? Is it now selling season? I agree that it feels like it, and the zeitgeist is certainly full of it. Man, this team is a letdown, after that fine start. And they were sold as competitive... lots of folks thought that projections were very low.

It turns out that they were high. With a few exceptions, the team plays somnambulant. Maybe it’s time to rebuild the rebuild. My dog won’t even lie on the arm of the chair and watch any more. That’s just sad. Someone asked when Jed Hoyer would know to fold his hand:

“End of July. Honestly, I’d love to know sooner,” Hoyer said. “I’d love to rattle off a long winning streak and feel like, ‘OK, all these questions are not going to be asked anymore.’ That’d be the hope. We’re certainly not going to make any decisions early. I mean, listen, we had a really good month and we had a really bad month. And we need to play well.” — Jordan Bastian.

Whither Cody Bellinger? How soon for Codi Heuer? How much third base is Nick Madrigal going to play now?

Marcus Stroman tried to be the stopper versus the Giants. He didn’t pitch badly, but longtime Red Anthony DeSclafani was up to the occasion and the two matched zeroes for a while.

Run support was optional, early. One run was on the board through six innings, scored by the Giants in the third. DeSclafani left the game in favor of Ryan Walker, with two men on and no outs in the top of the seventh. The Cubs took advantage of that for once. It made Sutcliffe so happy that I was glad for him. Could have been a lot more, but they indulged their propensity for leaving the pond full of ducks.

And, most importantly, the lead held.

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• Matt Snyder (CBS Sports*): Fourth-place Cubs, with NL Central up for grabs, are blowing their shot; is Jed Hoyer to blame? “If things don’t turn around for the Cubs, should they seek a new club president? Is that enough?”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Too early to tell if Cubs will buy or sell at Deadline? “The Cubs have a little more than seven weeks to pick a lane.” Brett Taylor has similar thoughts. Peter Marzano also entertains notions.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Julian Merryweather mentioned as a surprising Chicago Cubs trade chip. Mark Feinsand said so.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Amid expectations, Cubs’ offensive struggles amplified. “The Cubs’ offense is in the kind of prolonged lull that can start to toy with the hitters’ focus.” Meghan Montemurro has more of this.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Patrick Wisdom’s deep funk would make George Clinton jealous. “... Wisdom’s slump has absolutely crippled an offense that simply can’t afford to make up that kind of production deficit.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune*): Why Matt Mervis and Christopher Morel are in tough spots as Chicago Cubs try to get their anemic offense on track. “Mervis’ and Morel’s struggles are more pronounced within an anemic offense.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Whoa, where did Ian Happ’s power go? Happ’s bat is underwater.
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): Cubs’ Cody Bellinger headed to Arizona before minor-league rehab assignment. Plus notes on other injured players.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs fail to give Shohei Ohtani any glimpse of a buzz-filled future. “Ohtani’s next move will have enormous ripple effects throughout Major League Baseball.” Seiya Suzuki makes his pitch, according to Tony Andracki.
• Brittany Ghiroli (The Athletic {$}): Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins continues to get his due, 40 years after his playing career. “It looks like an optical illusion now,” Joe Posnanski said of Jenkins’ resume. “He completed more games in a season than probably anybody will ever do again in a career.”

Food for Thought:

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