Cub Tracks darns the Sox

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.

Okay, we had no game Monday so there was free agent talk and such to tide us over.

In other news, No. 1 pick Matt Shaw is still tearing it up, for those of you who want to know. Marcus Stroman will be back to finish off the gosh darn White Sox tomorrow. Things are looking up.

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• Meghan Montemurro and LaMond Pope (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Chicago baseball report: Cubs hosting Round 2 of the City Series this week while the White Sox try to play spoilers. “Patrick Wisdom is trying to make the most of what has become limited playing time for the Cubs.”
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): Bounce-backs key as Cubs prepare for meaningful games in September.
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times*): Cubs are rolling, but Brewers won’t roll over. Says Christian Yelich: ‘We’re pretty good, too’. ‘‘If history has told us anything in the last five, six years between our two teams, it’s probably that those last three games are going to be pretty important,’’ Yelich said.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): ‘He wants the ball’: Steele thriving through career-high workload. “You want to pitch in the [big] moments,” Steele said. Meghan Montemurro has more.
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Cubs planning for Marcus Stroman to return to rotation this week. Confirmed now for tomorrow.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Taillon runs into familiar trouble as stellar stretch hits a snag. “The big righty’s command was not as sharp, and the Blue Jays were on the attack, but the Cubs’ defense also had a handful of lapses that did Taillon no favors.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Lefty Chasen Shreve is now a Free Agent and the Cubs should give him a look. “Shreve, 33, has never been a true impact reliever, but he’s mixed perfectly solid seasons with some bad ones.”
• Luke Parrish (Cubbies Crib*): It’s time for the Chicago Cubs to cut ties with Patrick Wisdom. “While there is some value in the pop that Wisdom provides, he strikes out far too often and is not a serviceable defender given the guys ahead of him.” Brett Taylor checks in on Wisdom in his bullets.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Cubs’ Mike Tauchman has found success by knowing who he is and embracing that. “There are different ways to be successful here,” Tauchman said.
• Matthew Postins (Fan Nation*): Chicago Cubs have contingency plan if they lose Bellinger in free agency. “Recently, USA Today baseball insider Bob Nightengale told the Jack Vita Show that the Cubs had “no chance” of re-signing outfielder Cody Bellinger, if he opted not to exercise his mutual option in 2024.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Another big day for Top Cubs Pick Matt Shaw. “So far, Shaw is hitting .378/.410/.703/205 wRC+ over his first 39 PAs with South Bend.”
• Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register* {$}): Meet the Mundelein native who is helping the Cubs create content for TikTok. “Mundelein native Caitlin Hendricks started doing TikTok videos during the pandemic, and soon the Cubs superfan was partnering with MLB and the players.”
• Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register* {$}): Floods, fire and tornadoes: Iowa Cubs’ 1993 championship season was unforgettable. “The championship was a first for the franchise (the Cubs are still searching for their second).”

Song(s) of the day:

Food For Thought:

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