The Rundown: Prayers for Canter, Hoerner Just Keeps Hitting, Brewers-Cardinals PPD Due to COVID, Let’s Play Two…Shorter Games

I wasn’t really surprised when there was no Rundown waiting for me first thing Thursday morning, even though Mike Canter, our intrepid daily columnist, typically writes it late at night in order to provide me with a little editorial roughage. Yes, I’m admitting to the world that I’m full of shit. In any case, Mike’s health hasn’t been the greatest over the last year or so and that has frequently impacted his schedule so I thought little of it.

The morning came and went without a Rundown, I didn’t see any of the usual texts or tweets to explain the situation. Again, nothing terribly alarming there. But then I got a text from Mike’s phone, except he wasn’t the one who sent it. His brother Dan was reaching out to some of his contacts with a health update, as things had taken a drastic turn Thursday morning.

I’ll avoid further specifics out of respect for Mike and because I have faith that he’ll be well enough soon to tell you himself in a few days. The latest update from Dan was much more positive and the doctors believe Mike may even be able to get up and walk around a little today.

Regular readers probably already know how much he loves this column and the interaction it generates, so I want to ask for all of you who read this to leave a kind note or get-well wishes in the comments. I don’t know when or whether he’ll be able to read them, but my hope is that this will provide an emotional and spiritual boost. Those things can be good for the body as well as the soul, and every little bit really does help.

Thank you.

Cubs News & Notes

• Nico Hoerner only debuted last season because several other players got hurt. He may only be on the roster now because of short season. But he just keeps taking advantage of his opportunities and has collected a hit in each of his starts this season. Hoerner praised the Cubs for putting him in a position to succeed, David Ross credited Hoerner’s high baseball IQ.
• Thursday’s rain-out pushed the rotation back a day, so Yu Darvish will pitch against the Pirates tonight at Wrigley.
• The Cubs optioned Dillon Maples back to South Bend following an implosion Wednesday night in Cincinnati in which he walked four batters and could not retire any of the six men he faced. Colin Rea has been added to the 30-man roster as a replacement.

How About That!

Jon Heyman reported that tonight’s Brewers-Cardinals game in Milwaukee has been postponed due to positive COVID tests from the Cards. Joel Sherman added that the Cardinals are isolating at the team hotel.

MLB is expected to announce soon that it will move to 7-inning doubleheaders as of August 1. This decision was born of the need to shoehorn in a bunch of makeup games into what remains of the season as the Marlins and Phillies shut down activities, forcing their opponents to take extended breaks as well.

Players would like to extend 30-man rosters as an additional safety measure.

According to WAR, Christian Yelich is the worst player in baseball through the first week of the season.

Per Ken Rosenthal, the Mariners have informed several baseball operations employees that their contracts will not be renewed for next season. Among those being let go is VP of scouting Tom Allison.

They Said It

I’m looking for someone to get outs, throw strikes. Way too many walks from down there. We’ve got some guys that have to kind of step up, and that’s some of the stuff that we’re finding out here early. We can match up as much as we want, but guys still have to come in and throw strikes. I think, from a catcher’s standpoint, it’s just frustrating to keep giving free passes, and you get into trouble at some point. – David Ross

We had nothing to do with Miami and our schedule got wrecked. – Gerrit Cole

Friday Walk Up Song

The Adventures of Moon Man and Slim Shady by Kid Cudi and Eminem – This is a much smoother flow from Em in particular, sort of like cold brew for those who are more familiar with the bitterness of traditional coffee. It does not lack the typical lyric gymnastics you’d expect, with Cudi essentially offering his professional biography while Slim gets into current events.

Bunch of half-wits up in office
Half of us walking around like a zombie apocalypse
Other half are just pissed off and
Don’t wanna wear a mask and they’re just scoffing
And that’s how you end up catching the shit off ’em
I just used the same basket as you shopping
Now I’m in a f***in’ casket from you coughin’