Cub Tracks earns the split

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.

The Stro’ Show with yet another quality start and the Cubs with the quality lumber and all is well in Cubville for the nonce.

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• Reuters*: Cody Bellinger’s grand slam powers Cubs in rout of Red Sox. “... the Chicago Cubs rolled to a 10-4 home win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, evening the teams’ first series out of the All-Star break.” The same but from the AP.
• NBC Sports Chicago*: Jed Hoyer talks difficult decision-making, state of the Cubs ahead of trade deadline. “We had a lot of talk during the break,” Hoyer said. “I’m not gonna give you our exact criteria but, obviously, we’re trying to make decisions in the most educated fashion possible.”
• Scoop Jackson (Chicago Sun-Times*): Chicago baseball disappoints again — so why do we settle? “Is this us? If so, is this who we are, having both teams almost in unison singing the same ol’ hopeless song of “Wait Until Next Year,” with an entire city their backing vocalists.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Like the weather in Chicago, the Cubs’ ‘buy or sell’ mode can change by the minute. “I don’t want this to be a day-to-day assessment-type thing,” Hoyer said Friday. “It’s baseball.” Meghan Montemurro has more.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Cubs won’t overreact to 1 game but need to start gaining ground on .500 soon. “Obviously we’re going to see where we are,” Hoyer said.
• Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): ‘Love being a Cub’: Marcus Stroman discusses his long-term future with Cubs ahead of trade deadline. “So at the end of the day, it’s a business so we have to treat it as such, even though we have this love for this fan base and this organization,” Stroman said. More from Mike Clark.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Dansby Swanson unlikely to return this weekend, Nick Madrigal may start rehab stint next week. “ ...the shortstop is still feeling pain in his heel when he runs. “ Jordan Bastian confirms. Andy Martinez has more.
• Matthew Postins (Fan Nation*): Chicago Cubs First-Round Pick Shaw moves into Top 100 prospects. Shaw entered the Baseball America Top 100 at No. 95.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Joe Girardi reportedly receiving interest from Northwestern for its Baseball Head Coaching vacancy. “I suppose if any university was going to tempt him, it would be the local one where he also went to school.”

Song of the Day:

Food For Thought:

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